No Longer Going it Alone
by motorized-sasquatch
Summary: Ron is feeling alone and left behind as he eats lunch at Bueno Nacho. Only he isn't, as companionship comes from an unexpected source. PostGraduation, but ignores the Graduation ep and possibly a lot of S4. No longer a one-shot!
1. Lonely Lunch

Quick A/N: This is my first and maybe only fanfic, so I may not have formatted it as well as I could have for ffnet's site. _Italic script for an entire sentence represents inner monologue_. Just bear with me I guess. This oneshot kind of ignores the finale, and a good portion of S4, I suppose. Another A/N is at the end.

Also, I don't own anything I've written about, all characters belong to Disney, yada yada yada.

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**No Longer Going it Alone.**

"Awww man Rufus, this really tanks!" exclaimed the tow-headed young man as he sat at Bueno Nacho, sharing a double-supreme nacho platter and a few Nacos with his lifelong pet and life advisor, who just happened to be a naked mole rat.

"Hnk! Why?" was Rufus' response.

"Why? Because Kim's off visiting Cambridge again. Felix has already moved out to be near MIT. Monique's in North Carolina, at Chapel Hill. Even BONNIE is probably going to be accepted at the University of Wisconsin! And she didn't even graduate on time! And where am I? I'm sitting in a booth at Bueno Nacho #03581, eating nachos by myself. That's why." muttered 18-year-old Ron Stoppable, in a completely dejected manner.

"Hey!" exclaimed Rufus.

Ron favored the little rodent with a small smile. "Sorry little buddy, I guess I'm not by myself." Rufus just nodded and went back to gorging himself on tortilla chips and processed cheese goo.

With a long drag on his king-sized Slurpster, Ron couldn't help but reflect on the past 15 or so years of his life. Meeting Kim Possible in pre-K had undoubtedly been the high point of his life to this point. Without her, Ron's life would've probably been in an even more dire condition today. Even if she hadn't been able to make him care about his grades and his responsibilities, she'd at least taught him to respect himself, and she'd never wavered in her friendship with him, something nobody else in his life (save Rufus) had ever done.

Of course, his life had changed greatly a few years later, when he and Kim started adventuring around the world, saving people, disarming doomsday devices, and meeting some of the world's most interesting people. Overnight, his status had changed from 'aimless teenager' to 'aimless teenaged sidekick of world-renowned teen hero, Kim Possible'. That is, when the news outlets and people they rescued even acknowledged his existence. Regardless of how hard Kim tried to make it clear that they were partners, Ron always seemed to end up just out of frame. Still, he'd enjoyed every minute of it, and by the age of 15 he'd probably met more important figures and visited more exotic locales than most people could hope to see in a lifetime.

About 12 years into their close friendship, he and Kim had started dating. Of course, in typical fashion for the duo, it took an act of Drakken, a syntho-hottie, Bonnie Rockwaller operating in full-on Queen B mode, and the near-destruction of Middleton for them to finally get together, even if the signs of their mutual attraction had been written on the wall for some time. Ron couldn't help but smile as he thought about his relationship with Kim. It was great, and it had brought the two of them even closer together, if that were even possible.

But now things were different. Kim was ambitious, driven, a bit of a perfectionist, and had finished in the top 5 in her class. The globe-trotting teen heroine had the smarts, the drive, and the means to attend any school in the country. Indeed, any school in the world, and she had been all over the United States and the world in the recent months, scoping out universities and meeting faculties and students. This was her second trip to Cambridge, and it looked like she was probably going to be attending school there. It probably helped that she had letters of recommendation from nearly every single important person she had ever saved, more scholarship offers than she knew what to do with, and parents who were definitely on the positive side of well-off.

Ron grimaced as he thought about his own misadventures with school. His grades had been lackluster from start to finish. In fact, he was surprised he wasn't joining Bonnie at summer school. He hadn't spent enough time on the football team to have a real chance at getting one of _those_ scholarships. He hadn't been involved in enough school-related extracurriculars to draw an admissions officer's eye away from his grades. Unlike Kim, he hadn't earned any scholarships, and while his parents were solidly middle-class, they really couldn't afford to send him anywhere he wanted to go, especially with an infant to raise. At least they were willing to let him live at the house if he chose to stay in Middleton, as long as he was still working and contributing to the household. He hadn't even shown the forethought to get letters of recommendation from some of the people he'd known in the past several years. He was sure that Martin Smarty or even Sensei from Yamanouchi would've been glad to give him one. Of course that wouldn't help him now, as he'd already spent all that time filling out applications and had a whole two acceptance letters to show for it. Middleton Community College and Lowerton Technical College had both accepted him.

'_Of course' _Ron thought somewhat bitterly, '_they'll accept anyone. Humph...you'd think I'd have managed to ride Kim's coattails into some small state school at least.'_

Ron had to admit that he had no idea where things were going to go with Kim. They were both depressed about the distance that would keep them apart, but that wasn't going to be enough to stop them from actually ending up on opposite sides of the globe. She kept telling him that she loved him, and that he shouldn't worry, that they could make it work. Ron knew that, apart from Erik and Yori, he and Kim hadn't given any member of the opposite sex any real attention in the past few years, instead seeing each other with complete tunnel-vision, but he still had his doubts that either he or Kim would be able to deal with the distance and loneliness of the sitch forever, despite the strong bond of the heart the two of them clearly shared. He knew they wouldn't blame each other if they did indeed drift apart, but that wouldn't make it any less painful. Still, it was good to hear that she wanted them to work out so badly, even if he couldn't figure out where she was getting her confidence and optimism. Maybe things would be okay. Ron knew that it would be completely wrong to try and hold Kim back for his own sake. She just had too much to offer the world.

Ron had considered his options and decided that he'd go to Lowerton. They offered certifications in both business management and the culinary arts, as well as several other disciplines in case he changed his mind about running a restaurant. Other possibilities had entered Ron's mind. He'd thought of joining the military, but he just couldn't get excited about that idea. He was Ron Stoppable, Mr. Never Be Normal, and not Steve Barkin. He'd considered seeing Sensei about possibly furthering his education at Yamanouchi, but he'd realized that this just wasn't an ideal path. A ninja academy just didn't leave many options in the way of a future career, nor did it offer the peaceful post-teen years he'd decided he wanted. He hadn't been alone in that decision. Ron and Kim had decided that they were ready to lead normal lives once they graduated high school, at least while they were in college. They couldn't be teen heroes forever, after all. She'd said that they could decide after college if they wanted to resume work with an organization like Global Justice. Ron didn't yet have the heart or guts to tell Kim that he had probably hung up his mission gear for good. He'd probably never tell her that he hoped she would do the same. No, he was just going to continue to work at Smarty Mart, and attend night courses at LTC. Or maybe he'd switch to second shift at Smarty Mart and attend LTC during the day. He really hadn't decided yet. But he had decided that he was no longer a teen hero.

So wrapped up was Ron in his thoughts and his meal that he almost didn't notice the small, bubbly voice that came from his right.

"Hey Ron!"

Ron looked up and smiled when he saw that the greeting had come from Tara Strong, his one-time teammate on the Middleton Mad Dogs cheer squad and Middleton High's former resident blond bombshell. "Hola Tara! How's it going?"

"Oh, I'm fine." said Tara as she stood there in her conservative shorts and small t-shirt, holding a chimirrito combo and a small diet Coke. "Are you here all by yourself? I never see you here without Kim."

"Yeah, except for Rufus here" groused Ron as he pointed to the naked mole rat sleeping on the table. "Pretty much everyone I know is off at their colleges of choice, but I'm still here." said Ron, trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

"Oh. Mind if I sit down?" asked Tara.

"Nah. It'd be bon-diggity to have someone to talk to right now, actually." replied Ron.

Tara plunked herself down in the bench across from Ron and took a few bites before she began to speak. "So, what's got the Ronster looking so down? You were always so cheerful when you were on the squad."

"Ehh, I dunno, Tara. I guess I just feel like I've wasted every opportunity I had and everything I did in high school and now everyone is moving on with life and I'm feeling left behind." replied Ron as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

Tara stopped eating and looked at him quizzically. She was sure she understood what he meant completely, in fact she had been having similar feelings lately, but decided to let him keep talking. "What do you mean?"

Ron took a breath. "I never paid any attention to my grades and I never really applied myself to anything." Ron paused. "And then I never took any credit for anything I did with Kim and completely goofed my college applications, so now my only real option is Lowerton Technical College, while everyone else is going all around the country and the world. Kim's even going to school in Cambridge! That's almost as far away as England!"

Tara stifled a giggle and decided not to correct Ron's iffy geography skills. "LTC? You're kidding! That's where I'm going! I'm going into their nursing program, I plan to be a registered nurse."

"You're going to LTC too? Coolio! I'm going to be taking business and culinary classes, so I can hopefully open a restaurant someday!" Hearing that there would be a familiar face at Lowerton definitely cheered Ron up. "Mind if I ask why you chose LTC?"

"Well, my grades in school were _okay_" said Tara, frowning a bit "but nothing spectacular, so I didn't get any of the scholarships I applied for. I can't really afford to go away to school either, so I didn't bother to apply to any faraway schools. I did manage to get some decent financial aid though, which is helpful."

Ron found himself lost in thought for a second. He didn't know Tara as well as he knew Felix or Monique, but he'd learned enough about her that he could probably piece together her situation.

'_Oh man, that's right, her mom died like 10 years ago. I remember meeting her dad at the cheer squad parents night last year.' _thought Ron.

As great a guy as Tara's dad had seemed when they met, Ron knew that he couldn't possibly afford to send Tara and her 2 younger siblings away to college on a widower plumber's salary and still hope to make his house payments and pay for whatever else his kids needed. Tara's continued education was probably up to her and her alone.

'_I can't believe she's still so upbeat and such a sweetheart.' _mused Ron. _'Her dad did a pretty good job, I'd say._ '

"Ron? Are you still there? Hello Ron?" asked Tara, trying to snap Ron out of the haze he seemed to have slipped into.

"Oh, sorry Tara! Guess I wandered off for a second." he said, sheepishly.

"So, between my student aid and working second shift at the Lowerton Med Center, I should be able to swing LTC and a studio apartment in Lowerton." continued Tara. " No sense in burdening dad any more, since he's still got Katie and Robbie to look after. What are you planning to do? Gonna stay at Smarty Mart?"

"Yeah, I'm going to keep herding the animals at Smarty Mart" said Ron with his trademark lopsided grin "I'm thinking of switching to second shift and attending morning classes at LTC though." said Ron, not mentioning that he hadn't quite decided on the second shift idea until Tara had mentioned that she would be doing the same thing.

'_It'd be nice to see a familiar face at school during the day, maybe at lunch or something.' _thought Ron.

"Cool!" exclaimed Tara, equally enthused at the thought of knowing somebody at LTC. "Are you going to move out or keep living with your parents?"

"My parents said I can keep living in their attic as long as I'm still working and going to school." said Ron before continuing. "My dad just got himself a newer car and told me I could have his old Buick, so I'm just going to commute to LTC in that." finished Ron, his voice getting a little bit excited at the prospect of finally having his first car.

"That sounds great." said Tara. "You don't have to pay rent and you can still watch your sister on weekends if your parents need a break."

"Yeah" said Ron with a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure that's one of the reasons they're willing to let me stay at home."

The two of them sat and munched in silence for a few moments. Rufus stirred, and after giving Tara a quick greeting, retreated to Ron's pocket to continue his nap.

"You realize that's totally weird, don't you?" asked Tara with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, no dissin' the Rufus!" Ron shot back.

"Nah, he's too cute to diss." chuckled Tara.

Rufus shot out of Ron's pocket with a quick "Heya!" and a thumbs up before diving back in.

Both teens laughed, before turning back to the topic of school.

"Have you been out to the new Lowerton campus yet?" asked Tara.

"No, but I heard it's nice." replied Ron.

"It's great. They donated the old inner-city campus to the city so they could turn it into a park and community center. The new campus is on the outskirts of the south end of town, right off the interstate, so it'll be easy to get to. I'll probably be taking the Lowerton Transit bus there, myself, since route eight goes straight to the school."

"The south end of town?" asked Ron. "Isn't that near where the Tri-City Nature Preserve is?"

"Yep, they've got it built right outside the preserve, and they tried to blend the architecture in with the natural setting. It looks really nice, and its a great area! The woods are so...woodsy! The campus will look badical in the autumn!" chirped Tara, not noticing that she'd used a Ron-ism.

Ron smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown as he realized that he wouldn't be sharing any of this with Kim. Tara picked up on his change in mood immediately.

"You okay, Ron?"

"Yeah, I'm just kind of bummed that Kim and I are going to be so far apart. We've been at each others' side for so long, it's just going to be hard to get used to." explained Ron, making no effort to hide his feelings.

"You're really upset about this, aren't you?" asked a sympathetic Tara.

"Yeah." started Ron. "Kim keeps saying I shouldn't worry so much, but I'm just scared that we won't keep it together. We'll both be doing our own things and meeting new people, we won't be seeing each other on missions anymore, and we'll be on opposite ends of the earth. I just have trouble keeping my spirits up in this sitch."

Tara sat and listened to Ron's fears quietly.

_'I'm surprised Kim is willing to travel so far away from such a sweet, funny, caring guy.'_ thought Tara. _'I'm not sure if I'd be able to, even if I could go to school anywhere I wanted.'_

"I guess I can sort of understand how you feel." said Tara.

Ron looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I was so bummed when Josh went away to college last year. And I'm going to miss Bonnie when she goes off to Wisconsin, she's been my best friend since we were 7, believe it or not." explained Tara.

Ron just nodded.

By now, both of them had finished their lunches, and were about ready to get on with their afternoons.

"What's your plan for the rest of the day, Ron?" asked Tara.

"I dunno. Probably just go home and play some Zombie Mayhem 4, and then maybe cook some dinner for me and Rufus. My parents are at an actuarial conference in Sacramento, and Hana is at my aunt's house." said Ron.

"Well, I was going to take the Tri-City light-rail line down to Lowerton and do some registration paperwork and stuff." said Tara. "Something you should probably do soon too, if you're going to school there." she continued in a somewhat scolding tone.

"You're right! I haven't even seen the new campus yet. Hey, why don't we both go down there? We can take my Buick." said Ron. "I just have to stop at home and get my acceptance letters and information packet." he continued. "And, if you aren't busy, it'd hurricane rock if you stayed for dinner when we get back to Middleton. I was going to make lasagna!" he finished.

"Sounds like a plan." said Tara with a smile. She hadn't had any Ron-cooked food since that time he'd taken over the home economics class.

Before they got up to leave, Tara gingerly reached out and placed a delicate hand over Ron's large paw. Ron looked up, with a confused expression on his face.

"Ron, I just want to say that I'm really glad to hear that we're both going to LTC. I was so worried that I'd be completely on my own, with no friends or familiar faces, and now I feel so relieved." she said with an earnest smile. "And, if you ever feel lonely or want someone to talk to about Kim or school or anything else, I'll be here and happy to talk and hang out with you."

Ron looked into Tara's pretty sky-blue eyes and smiled. Even when it seemed like everyone was moving on, he still had good people close to him. He may have been unsure about what was going to happen with Kim, and he may have been uncertain about his new sitch, but he no longer felt like he was facing it all by himself, and for that he was incredibly grateful.

"Back at ya, Tara" he said with his lopsided grin. She smiled back.

And, with that the two blond teens got up and left Bueno Nacho #03581, both feeling considerably better than they had when they'd entered. They may not have been certain about their futures, but they were no longer going it alone.

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A/N:

So, there it is, my first ever fanfic, and possibly my last ever fanfic. Writing these things just isn't something I usually think to do. This one was borne out of a beer and pizza induced haze on a boring Thursday night. For some reason I just decided to write a short fanfic, and in a couple of hours I hammered this out. I went with a scene that has surely happened countless times across America. Not everyone goes to the college of their dreams, or even goes at all. The timeframe for this fic is immediately following their high school graduation. Very early summer.

I'm usually a fan of K/R (and D/S), with occasional forays into Ron/whomever. Could never really get into KiGo. Tara has always been one of my favorite characters, and I decided she could use some love, so I wrote something about her and Ron sharing a friendly lunch. I also had the easiest time picturing her in a 'school and future' situation similar to Ron's. Thought I'd give her a little back-story too.

I purposely tried to make the interactions and relationships here a bit ambiguous.

Kim and Ron are being distanced from each other and embarking on different life paths, but still share a strong bond of love and friendship in this story, despite Ron's insecurity and Kim's lack of presence. They both want their love to work. I honestly don't know if Ron would really hang his mission clothes up for good after high school, but I decided to keep that part in the story. Heck, I don't even know if Kim and Ron really would attend schools so far apart, or different schools at all, but it makes for a fertile fanfic topic.

Even if Ron and Tara are both happy to have each other as friends first and foremost, I think they're still able to appreciate one another as members of the opposite sex. Is Tara offering her support to Ron and Kim's future, or is she taking her first step on the path to claiming Ron for herself? Why did she come to Ron in the first place? Why was Ron so eager to change his Smarty Mart schedule? Did Ron invite her to dinner as just a friend, or is something else at work? I'm not certain myself, and I wrote it!

The girl Ron ends up with in the future is purposely left open to possibility. Basically, that's the reader's call.

I hope you enjoyed this, and feel free to R/R. My feelings don't get hurt that easily, so honesty is your best policy.


	2. Movie Night

AN: Holy cow, an update! Past this point, I'm still not sure where I'm going with this story, but I'm going to see where it takes me. I had a rough outline and some content for this chapter thought out and completed when I posted the first chapter, but I wasn't sure if I was going to leave it a one-shot or not. Michael Howard's recent review made me go 'eh, what the hell?' and fill in the holes and post chapter 2. I suppose my ending AN for the first chapter doesn't mean much now, since I'm continuing this, ha!

I don't own anything related to Disney, Kim Possible, General Motors, Al Leong, 20th Century Fox, or any other thing I mention in this story.

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**No Longer Going it Alone – Chapter 2:**

The day had been pretty uneventful for Ron and Tara. As soon as they'd taken care of their registrations and been told that their scheduling info and other paperwork would arrive in the mail, Tara had given Ron a ten-cent tour of the new Lowerton Technical College campus. She hadn't been lying, the new campus was a lovely place. Small, but with a great natural setting, plenty of parking, and attractive new buildings. The nearby Bueno Nacho was another plus.

_'This might not be so bad.' _Ron had thought with an approving look as he'd surveyed the school he'd be attending for the next several years. Having Tara clamped onto his arm the whole time wasn't too bad either, but Ron wouldn't have admitted to it under torture.

Now, the two teens found themselves seated in Ron's old LeSabre as it whooshed smoothly towards Middleton in the northbound lanes. Rufus was enjoying a nap on the bench seat between the two teens.

"So, what'd you think of the campus?" asked Tara as she turned to look at Ron.

"You know, I wasn't expecting a little school in Loweton to be that nice. That place is really badical!"

"Yeah, for a little vocational school it really is nice." replied Tara. "The lunch the culinary students made for the cafeteria was kinda meh, but I'm sure that'll change when you get there!"

"Vocational...yeah, that's a school word."

"Well, you are a student, at a school!" teased Tara.

Ron chuckled, and was silent for a moment before he began to speak again.

"Wow. Ron Stoppable is officially a college student. It feels weird to say that. Next thing you know I'll be buying a house and complaining about my insurance bills and chasing those danged kids off my lawn and doing other responsible adult things!" mused Ron as he guided the old Buick towards home.

"I dunno, Ron. I get the feeling that 'responsible adult' will always be a relative term with you. I saw the Fearless Ferret and Mummy Mayhem bumper stickers on the back of your car." the mirth in Tara's eyes and her cheeky smile betrayed her serious tone.

"Aw, not you too!" exclaimed Ron in a mock-frustrated tone. Ron knew he wasn't exactly Alex P. Keaton, but everybody thinking of him as silly and full of child-like wonder occasionally got to him. "The Rondo has responsibility to spare! Just last week I watched Hana for the whole day without breaking any windows! And I haven't lost my pants in weeks! Besides, it's Zombie Mayhem, not Mummy Mayhem." Ron puffed his chest out a little.

"Barkin would be proud of you, eh?" teased Tara.

Ron deflated. "Barkin? He's still trying to get me to join the Marines! He actually gave my cell phone number to every recruitment office in the Tri-City! I get 5 calls a day!" exclaimed Ron.

Fate decided to mock Ron a little, as his cell phone rang that very instant.

"Agh! Not again! Ooh-Rah this!" was Ron's response to the number displayed on his cell's screen before he shut the phone off and threw it in the car's backseat. Tara was struggling to stifle her giggles.

Ron noticed.

"Oh sure, laugh it up!" Ron couldn't keep his own amusement hidden and settled for just sticking his tongue out at Tara, who laughed in response.

The car descended into a reasonably comfortable silence for a few moments before Tara decided to bring up a new subject.

"So, this is the new Stoppable-mobile, huh? It seems to suit you." said Tara as she looked around the inside of the car.

The boxy old sedan was definitely at the bottom of it's depreciation curve, rusty around the edges, occasionally puffing a little bit of blue smoke from it's tailpipe, dented in places, even the cheesy 1980s plastic-fantastic interior was worn out. It was almost the 4-wheeled equivalent of Ron's old scooter. But with a few strategically placed stickers and doodads, plus a couple of crumpled Bueno Nacho drive-thru bags in the backseat, the car was most definitely Ron's. And it ran a heck of a lot better than the old scooter.

" Yeah, it's not much, but it's going to have to get me around for a few years. I keep trying to get Kim's brothers to trick it out for me like they did for Kim's Sloth, but they keep saying that it'd be _'dangerous'_ and that I'd _'kill myself'_ doing something '_stupid'_".

Ron further accentuated those certain words with 'finger quotes'.

"You know, those two aren't nearly as fun since they started growing up! I bet it won't be long before they have girlfriends and jobs instead of rocket fuel and fission experiments." continued Ron.

"They're just looking out for you, Ron." said Tara.

"But they could at least put the bubble horn on for me!"

By now they had exited the freeway and were on Middleton's surface streets, only a few miles from the Stoppable residence. Ron suddenly remembered that he needed to make a quick stop.

"Tara, do yo mind if we make a pit stop? I need to run into Smarty Mart and pick up some things for dinner." asked Ron.

"Not at all. I get to observe the elusive Ron in one of his natural habitats." teased Tara.

"You're just full of them today, aren't you?" shot back an amused Ron.

"I'm here all week, folks."

Ron wheeled the old Buick into a parking stall and the two blondes grabbed a cart and headed for the Smarty Mart's supermarket wing. It was between the livestock section and the light aircraft aisle.

"Let's see here, I need cheeses, canned tomatoes, Italian sausage, peppers, and a head of lettuce." mumbled Ron as he looked at his list. "I thought we could have a nice salad with our lasagna."

"Sounds great." replied Tara.

Naturally, Ron hit the cheese aisle first, hoping he could get everything he needed before Rufus woke up from his slumber in Ron's pocket and decimated the aisle.

"Let's see, ricotta – check, fresh mozzarella – check, now we just need...a-ha! Ron grabbed a jar of microwaveable spicy nacho cheese sauce and threw it in the cart.

Tara's eyes widened. "Ron, I don't remember any of the restaurants in Go City's Little Italy putting nacho cheese in their lasagna."

"You've never had lasagna a la Ron!" was Ron's immediate reply. "You'll love it, I promise."

"If you say so." Tara still looked a little dubious.

The blonde pair found everything else Ron needed (plus a few things he didn't!) and headed towards the checkout lanes, which stretched on as far as the eye could see. They jumped into the line for register #349 and patiently waited. Rufus woke up and was plainly irritated that he had slept through the visit to the cheese aisle.

"That'll be 9.78, please." muttered the bored-looking cashier. Tara's eyes bugged.

"Gosh, all that for less than 10 bucks?! Bonnie always told us this place was evil, but who cares?! I really need to shop here more often!" Tara was impressed, and already getting into the 'broke-college-student' mindset.

"Yep, Smarty Mart's prices totally hurricane rock! And that isn't all." Ron produced his Smarty Mart employee discount card with a flourish and swiped it. "50 percent off all purchases for Smarty Mart employees! AH A-BOOYAH!"

Ron paid the new, lower price and the two walked back out into the vast parking lot, towards Ron's car. The short drive to Ron's was completed quickly and the two entered the empty Stoppable house.

* * *

Ron immediately got to work preparing their dinner. It was already late afternoon, and the lunch the pair had eaten at LTC wasn't going to tide them, specifically him, over forever! Soon the tomatoes and other fixings for a good marinara sauce were in a large pot on the stove and bubbling away. The lasagna ribbons were boiling in another.

Tara, who was watching Ron dump various ingredients and spices into the sauce, and had enjoyed the day's silly banter with Ron fully and wanted more, wasn't going to pass up this golden opportunity.

Tara affected her best Italian-American mobster accent. "Ron, don't put too many onions in the sauce."

Ron immediately picked up on it and did the same. "I didn't put too many onions in Tar. Only three small onions."

"Three onions?! How many cans 'a tomatahs you put in there?" demanded Tara.

"Two cans! Two big cans!" responded Ron, animatedly shaking his hand while pressing his middle and forefingers against his thumb.

The blonde pair looked at each other for a few seconds, and then they both burst out laughing.

"You make a good Paulie." laughed Ron. He thought a little more and continued, "You know, Kim never really did things like that, even when we were kids." mused Ron after Tara's laughter had subsided.

"Did things like what?" asked a curious Tara.

"You know, being silly just for the sake of being silly. Even back then, she was a lot more serious than I am. She still is."

"Tell me about it. She was really tough when she ran the cheer squad, but she was always fair." agreed Tara. "I guess taking State four years in a row justified it though. So, what's the deal with you and Kim saving the world? Aren't you going to do that anymore?"

"Well...we've hung up the khakis for the time being. It's hard enough being heroes in high school, it'd be impossible in college, especially with the two of us being so far apart." Ron frowned at that last part.

"Ever going to start doing it again?"

"I really don't want to. Sure, I loved doing it, but after the hundredth crazed bad guy tries to kill you, it gets a little old, you know?" Tara nodded. "I haven't told Kim that I don't plan to do it anymore, but I have to at some point. I'm hoping she'll just take a desk job at GJ or something. Besides, Kim's cousin Joss and our old tech guy Wade have really taken over the business for us anyway, they're just as good as we ever were, maybe better."

Tara nodded again. She'd seen the news reports of the two young teens taking Drakken and Shego out recently. The world was still safe.

Ron was now draining the lasagna ribbons and thinly slicing the sausage links he had pan-fried.

"You're going to smell like Italian sausage when you get home, since you sat in the kitchen while I fried these." noted Ron.

"If that's the price of enjoying Ron Stoppable's cooking, I'll pay it."

Ron simply smiled and went back to slicing after shooing Rufus away from the meat.

Tara watched with interest as Ron layered the pasta, meat, sauce, and cheeses in a deep pan. "You know, I've never had lasagna with links instead of ground meat either."

"This is a Ronster original!" crowed Ron as he poured the nacho cheese sauce over a layer of the meat, before adding another layer of pasta and topping that with sauce and some shredded mozz and parmesan.

Ron put the pan in the oven and set the timer, before setting about preparing a bowl of tossed salad.

While he worked on that, Tara asked Ron where to find various items and set a table for two humans and one naked mole rat, much to Rufus' approval.

Ron produced a pan of steaming, fragrant lasagna and placed it on the counter to cool. After gathering up everything else they'd need for the meal, he sliced into the lasagna and placed two big slabs of it on two plates.

"Ooh Ron, I don't know if I can eat that much!" said Tara as she eyed the plateful of somewhat gooey lasagna and the bowl of lettuce and veggies he'd set before her.

"After you taste it, you just might." chuckled Ron with a wink. "If you can't finish it, Rufus will."

The two sat down to eat and Tara took a delicate bite of lasagna after blowing on it a bit.

The lasagna tasted so good that Tara thought she was going to melt right out of her chair. Ron hadn't been lying about the nacho cheese adding a certain something. "MMMM...ooooh Ron, this is AMAZING!" exclaimed Tara as she dug in.

"A-booyah! I told you you'd love it." Ron was just a little smug.

"Remind me not to doubt your cooking skills ever again." replied Tara, not even caring that she was talking with food in her mouth.

Ron smiled and dug into his own plate, happy that his guest was enjoying her meal. Rufus had downed his plate in seconds and had waddled off for a nap, leaving the tow-headed teens to their meal.

Tara was studying Ron a bit in between bites.

'_He's sweet, he's funny, he's maturing, he's a great cook...Kim, what are you thinking, leaving him here like this? As soon as the girls with any sense at LTC get wind of Ron, they're going to be all over him like hair gel on the Oh Boyz.'_

Tara really didn't want to be _that_ girl. In fact, she hated _that_ girl. _That_ girl had even stolen a boyfriend away from her once. But she knew deep down that she was one of those LTC girls she'd thought about. If she ever heard that things weren't right between Kim and Ron, Tara knew she'd move in for the kill. She would willingly become _that_ girl.

This line of thought was making Tara feel guilty. She was here to be Ron's friend, not a predator looking for a mate. She decided she wanted to know a little more about Ron instead of thinking about stealing him.

"So, you're really planning to open a restaurant one day?" she asked earnestly.

"Yeah. I really love cooking, you know? It's a way to share my gifts with people, and I love seeing them enjoy my food." he replied.

"Are you mostly just going to be studying business management at LTC, then? I don't imagine you have much left to learn about cooking." Tara continued her questioning.

"Yeah, I've never really had a head for that sort of thing, so I've got learning to do. I probably will do some culinary stuff though, I'm sure there's still plenty for me to learn."

"What kind of restaurant do you plan to run?" Tara was genuinely curious about Ron's future, for reasons she wasn't quite sure of.

" Well, if I had my way, I'd eventually own two of them. Maybe a more reasonably priced family-type restaurant to start with and build a name for myself, and then eventually open a more upper-class sort of place. I'd call it Chez Ron or something." he continued. "I'd probably spend most of my time at the fancier one, taking care of the business paperwork and cooking when I had time, once I knew that the family place was in good hands."

Tara was surprised at how thought-out Ron's future seemed to be, for a guy who had always seemed a bit aimless. Before she could stop herself, she'd blurted out something she really hadn't intended to ask. "What about the rest of your future?"

Ron was a bit confused. "How do you mean?"

"Uh...er, you know... Where do you plan to live? Are you going to get married and have kids? That sort of thing..." Tara was floundering a bit. She hadn't meant to ask such personal questions but now she'd sort of talked herself into a corner.

Ron grimaced a bit. The question about marriage and children had reminded Ron of how the one thing he'd never questioned in his life, the strength of his relationship with Kim, was becoming fuzzier and fuzzier. Since Bueno Nacho earlier that day, he'd hardly thought of Kim. Now she was flooding his mind. He still wasn't sure how he was going to deal with her being out of the country for so long. At least she was going to be home from her visit to Cambridge next week.

Ron rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I haven't thought about that so much." he lied. Ever since he'd finally started a romantic relationship with Kim, he'd occasionally had images of them raising a family and living in a comfortable house somewhere run through his head. "I'm sure I'll figure that out someday."

Tara sensed Ron's mood change and decided to divert. "Oooh, that was a great dinner, but I don't think I can eat another bite!" she laid her fork down on her plate and placed a hand over her stomach. There was still a chunk of lasagna left.

"No problem. RUFUS!" The mole rat groggily wandered into the kitchen. Ron simply pointed to Tara's plate. One bite later and the now even more bloated mole rat was lumbering back out of the kitchen and to his bed.

* * *

Tara told Ron that she would help with the dishes as he began cleaning up. Ron protested, saying she was a guest, but Tara wasn't taking no for an answer. Ron washed while Tara dried and put away. Tara blushed a bit as she stood next to Ron at the sink. She would've denied it even under torture, but she was enjoying this shared domestic scene a lot more than she let on. By the time they had finished, it was about 8pm.

"So, what are your plans for the rest of the evening?" asked Tara.

"I dunno, probably just veg out, maybe watch a movie. Hey, do you want to watch something with me?" he asked.

"Sure!"

They made their way out into the living room. Ron pointed to a cabinet that contained the Stoppable family's fairly sizable DVD collection. "Why don't you pick something out? I'll go make a little popcorn. Want something to drink?"

"Anything diet."

"Sure thing, I'll be right back." Ron trotted back out to the kitchen. He came back with a bowl of popcorn and two cans of soda. After setting them down on the coffee table Ron asked Tara what she'd picked out. Tara tossed him a DVD case.

" You like _Big Trouble in Little China_?" Ron was completely flabbergasted. He loved the movie, but he'd always assumed that he was the only teen on the planet who did. Or at least it seemed that way.

Tara's only response was to fix him with a half-cocky, half-menacing stare. Ron was just about to ask what the deal was when Tara spoke.

"Son of a b-tch must pay!"

Ron nearly doubled over laughing. When he stopped, Tara spoke again.

"My dad loves this movie, and I guess it really grew on me after I saw it. It's one of my favorites now. Apparently it's where he took my mom on their first date. I'm surprised she married him!" Tara enthused.

Ron laughed again, before going silent. Without warning, he pointed at Tara and blurted out "Pray your cards right, you rive to talk about it!"

This time it was her turn to nearly keel over laughing. Once they were settled down, Ron popped the DVD in and plopped himself down on the couch. Tara followed suit, sitting down so close to Ron that their legs were almost touching.

'_Tara, what are you doing? He's taken, girl. Don't forget.'_ Tara was surprised at her own actions.

Ron was in a similar boat.

_'What's she doing? And why are you so excited by it?'_

The two teens subtly scooted apart, and remained in an awkward silence until the Wing Kong Hatchet Man showed up on screen.

"You know, Al Leong has got to be the most killed henchman in Hollywood." mused Ron. "I'm surprised Kim and I haven't run into him on a mission or something!"

Tara laughed, thankful that the mood had been lightened.

"I'm serious, how many times has he played some baddie who gets killed in a horrible way? Or just some nameless thug? That's all he does!"

" He was Genghis Khan in the _Bill and Ted_ movie." offered Tara.

" You know which character of his I've never understood? The terrorist he played in _Die Hard_. He's an Asian guy with a German name, screaming at hostages with an American accent. Something isn't Kosher there! But at least he manages to steal a couple of candy bars before he gets offed in that one!"

Tara laughed again, and the two watched the movie in a far more relaxed manner, the mood having been lightened considerably.

* * *

After the movie was over, Tara said that it was time for her to walk home. Ron was having none of that and told her he was giving her a ride home. After opening the Buick's door for Tara like a gentleman, Ron hopped into the driver's seat and they were off.

They made idle conversation along the way.

"So, when are you moving to Lowerton?" asked Ron as they were nearing Tara's house.

"I'm going to be moving in about 3 weeks." laughed Tara. "I've already found an apartment."

"Well, get a hold of me when you're going to do it. I'd be happy to help." offered Ron.

"Really? You really are too nice of a guy, Ron." teased Tara. "But yeah, that'd be bon-diggety. We could use the help." For the second time that day, Tara used a Ron-ism without realizing it.

As they pulled into the driveway, Tara turned to Ron again. "I had a fun time tonight, Ron. We've got to do this again sometime." Ron agreed.

Ron watched to make sure Tara safely got into her house before he stuck the car into reverse to leave. As Tara entered her house and Ron motored away, they both had a similar thought.

'_That almost felt like a date.'_

* * *

AN: Well, this concludes Ron and Tara's first official day as friends. Sounds like at least one party is interested in the other. And Kim is going to be home soon! Drama? Maybe. Or maybe not for a while, who knows!

Did you know that Tara is a movie buff? Me neither, but apparently she is now.

Please Read and Review, I guess. My feelings won't be hurt if you hate this, so be honest. I'm not even sure if I like this chapter. Bad timing, rocky dialogue, random awkweirdness, blah. I think the first was a lot better, which is one reason I was going to keep this a one shot...not sure if I can repeat performances.

And if anyone is in the dark about the tomato sauce thing, just watch GoodFellas.

Have a good one! And keep on Fanfic-ing!


	3. Foreign Student

AN: UPDATE TIME UPDATE TIME! YAY!

* * *

The Kimmie cometh! On to chapter 3! As usual, I don't own anything related to anything. Except maybe the characters I insert for the sake of moving the story along.

* * *

"Geez Rufus, you just ate an hour ago!" Ron was a bit annoyed. He'd already thrown several dollars worth of beans and nacho cheese sauce down his naked mole rat's gullet that day, and the critter was demanding more.

"Hnnnk! Hungry! Ooooooh" moaned Rufus as he theatrically grabbed his midsection and keeled over as if from starvation.

"Fiiine, come on!" Ron grabbed Rufus and headed towards a small restaurant and snack stand at Tri-City International Airport. As he passed the Airport Lounge, Ron noted that a worrying number of pilot's caps and uniforms were visible at the bar and tables. '_Remind me to only fly on airplanes Wade provides.' _mused Ron as he entered the snack bar and bought Rufus an 8.50 platter of nachos that would've cost 2.99 at Bueno Nacho. _'Robbery! I almost wish Frugal Lucre was running the place...' _Ron grumbled to himself as he returned to his seat near the gate.

Normally, a busy airport wasn't the place Ron Stoppable would spend a Saturday afternoon, but today he had a special reason to be there. His best friend and girlfriend Kim Possible was returning from her week-long visit to the UK. It seemed like Cambridge was indeed the college of choice for the young former-hero.

Ron took in his surroundings as he sat down in his chair. _'God, this place gives me the willies.'_ thought Ron as he looked around. On his way in he'd seen a bizarre mural on the wall of a strange gun-wielding figure wearing a gas mask and a military trenchcoat. Other equally bizarre murals were scattered in corners of the building as well. On the floor tiles in front of Ron's chair was a word written in a language he didn't recognize. He'd seen other symbols in the floor tiles as well. _'Whatever this is all about, it's weird. Kim needs to get here already so we can leave!'_ (AN: I just threw this stuff in for the heck of it...it's Colorado-related, explanation at the end)

Ron resumed his sitting, feeling increasingly bored, until...

There she was. A long mane of shining auburn hair. Big green eyes. A lithe but muscular body whose slightly angular shapes moved like a cat on a hunt. A bright smile. It was amazing how different she was from the soft, curvy features and Nordic beauty of...

_'What the heck are you thinking about?'_ Ron asked himself, savagely quashing any more thoughts before he jumped up and began running towards her.

"KP!"

The love of Ron's life exited the tunnel, holding her carry-on luggage and immediately located the source of the cry, and with a big smile ran towards him. "Ron!"

The two of them collided softly, embracing into a tight hug before engaging in a kiss that had other travelers staring at them. They didn't care, they had gone a week without any KP Kisses or any Ronshine.

"I missed you!" they both cried in unison.

"Jinx, you owe me a soda!" Kim said with an air of triumph.

"Aww! I never get the soda!" Ron's smile indicated that he clearly didn't mind owing KP a soda.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries and Rufus jumped out to give Kim a hug before they scooped up Kim's suitcase and made their way to the exit. Normally, Kim's parents would've picked her up, but they'd decided to allow Ron to get her instead, seeing as that's who she'd _really_ want to see when she got off the plane.

A short while later, Ron's old Buick was on it's way towards Middleton, with it's three passengers comfortably ensconced in it's bench seats. Two of the passengers were enjoying a pleasant conversation.

"Oh Ron, you need to see Cambridge sometime. The campus is just spankin'! Lots of neat architecture and beautiful grounds! And so many interesting people! You'd love it." Kim gushed on about her school of choice.

Ron thought about telling Kim about his school, but he decided that the new 'green' buildings and vocational students of Lowerton Tech didn't really compare to the old gothic architecture and massive brain trust of the various colleges comprising the Cambridge campuses and student bodies.

"So, which college were you going to attend, again?" asked Ron, deciding to completely ignore LTC.

"St. Catharine's. It seems like a pretty balanced, well rounded college. I might be famous, but I'm certainly not from old money, so Trinity is out." laughed Kim. "So, did you figure out what you were going to do, Ron?"

Darn. Now Ron had to talk about his school. "Yeah KP, I chose Lowerton Technical. Tara and I went down there and got registered and everything a few days ago." Ron said before realizing it.

Kim's ears perked up. "Tara? What were you doing with Tara?" Her voice didn't carry a hint of accusation, but Ron knew his companion of 14 years too well. He knew the gears in her head were starting to move.

"Oh, well. I just ran into her at Bueno Nacho, so we ate lunch. She's going to Lowerton too. It's kind of nice knowing a familiar face will be there." said Ron as casually as possible. Kim seemed to be mollified.

"Oh, that's great, Ron. Is anyone else we know going there?"

"Not that I know of, KP."

The ride continued in silence for a moment before Ron began speaking again.

"So, when do you have to head back to England?"

"In two weeks. Wade already found me a place to live, and he also got GJ to transport all my stuff for me! Not having to deal with international customs and airports when I move will be spankin!" enthused Kim, eliciting a laugh from Ron.

"I'm surprised you're going so soon. Classes don't start for another 2 months, I thought."

Kim picked up on it immediately. Ron wanted her to stay longer.

"I know, Ron." she said, reaching over to place a hand on his shoulder. "But my parents and I think I need to spend some more time there before instruction starts, so I can get used to the place and get settled before I have to start school. You understand, don't you?"

"Yeah."

By now, they had reached the subdivision the Possible home was situated in and Ron had pulled his car into the driveway. They entered the house only to find it deserted, with a note from Kim's mother sitting on the table.

_Kimmie_

_I had to go in at the med center. I won't be home until late tonight. Your father took the boys to the Captain Constellation festival at the Middleton Cineplex. There's leftover brain-loaf in the fridge, just microwave some for dinner. There's plenty for Ron too._

_Love, Mom._

Kim smiled. "How does brain-loaf sound for dinner, Ron?"

"A-booyah! The Rondo is all about the brain meatloaf!" Ron loved Mrs. Dr. P's cooking, and the brain-shaped meatloaf was one of his favorite dishes. He raced into the kitchen to begin prepping dinner.

It had become accepted procedure that, as long as Ron was in the house, he would be the one prepping the food. Most of the time she could handle microwaving leftovers, but there had still been past incidents involving the microwave that people didn't talk about, for fear of incurring 16-styles of kung-fu wrath from a certain redhead. The most recent of which was the potato which had to be removed from the microwave by men in radiation suits. Said potato was currently buried in a Nevada salt-sink, after it was determined that it's radioactive half-life was somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty-million years.

Kim simply smiled as she saw Ron open the fridge and got to work setting the table for two humans and a naked mole rat instead.

Following dinner, a prolonged and rather heated make-out session commenced on the living room couch, cut short only when Mr. Dr. P and the Tweebs returned home. Some _very_ speedy straightening of hair and clothes were needed before James found them. Ron decided that this was as good a time as any to leave and, after kissing Kim goodbye, jumped into his car and headed for home.

* * *

The next week and a half or so saw Kim and Ron enjoying their limited time together as much as possible. Dates, movie nights, daily trips to Bueno Nacho, Kim and Ron were spending as much tim together as they possibly could, to the point that their families were starting to wonder if they were ever going to see their children again.

The high points had been the trips Wade had arranged for them. Since Team Possible were owed so many favors by so many people, it would probably take a century for them to use them all, so it was very little trouble for the young tech guru to set them up with rides around the country and world. One night, Ron had been in the mood for New York style pizza, so Wade had sent them to the Big Apple on an unmanned GJ hoverjet prototype.

Even better than that, during the second week of Kim's return to Middleton, they'd been able to score rides to Massachusetts and North Carolina, so the duo were able to visit Felix at MIT and Monique at Chapel Hill. It turned out that Monique was still as fashion-forward as ever. A major change from high school was that she was now surrounded by countless eager suitors, whose idea of French cuisine didn't involve french fries. Monique had no problem with this.

When Kim and Ron headed to Massachusetts on Wednesday, they found things were similar at MIT. It turned out that Felix was still the master of Zombie Mayhem, besting Ron nine times in ten games at the just-released fourth installment of the series. Both of the young men agreed that Zombie Mayhem IV was a worthy sequel to the series, but Ron was still convinced that Zombie Mayhem II was the best of the lot while Felix was slightly disappointed that the fourth game didn't stack up to the pure zombie-smashing perfection that was Zombie Mayhem III.

What had thrown Kim and Ron both for a loop was running into Justine Flanner at MIT and finding out that she had befriended Felix. They also learned through observation that the tall, brusque blonde with the pretty eyes had taken a very strong liking to Felix, to the point that any other girl looking to approach him got the evil eye and an invitation to check out the 4-barreled plasma-cell-powered fusion cutter she was working on in the school's labs. Felix, to Ron and Kim's amusement, remained completely oblivious to Justine's affections and confused but not too bothered about his poor luck with the women of MIT.

"I hope their kids don't turn out to be evil. They'd take over the world in minutes!" Ron whispered to a snickering Kim as the two of them boarded their transport back to Middleton, after waving goodbye to Felix and Justine.

"Do you think Felix is ever going to figure out that she likes him?" asked an amused Kim once their hoverjet was flying back towards Middleton.

"All she has to do is play Zombie Mayhem with him. Then he'll be all hers!" chortled Ron.

"Ugh, you boys and your mummy smashing."

The rest of the flight home alternated between kissing, cuddling, and sleeping on the comfortable chairs provided on GJ administrative personnel transports, a far cry from the usual hard benches found in the Global Justice field agent hoverjets Kim and Ron had usually flown on.

Kim and Ron had been having a great time over the past week and a half, but somebody else in Middleton wasn't enjoying herself nearly as much.

* * *

"Hmph!" A pretty, curvaceous blonde plopped down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. Tara had Thursdays and Fridays off at the Lowerton Med Center, which she was thankful for since she hated the train commute she had to take from Middleton to get there. Now, it was early Thursday evening and she was stuck at home in Middleton. She was all packed up for her move to Lowerton, but that was still more than a week away.

She'd been having an incredibly dull time since her trip to LTC with Ron. School wasn't starting for almost 2 months, but most of her friends were so busy preparing for college and moving away that she found her social life rather limiting. Her old hangouts weren't any fun without her friends, and most other 'young person' places she went to only resulted in her being hit on by sleazy guys, which was even less fun.

Usually when she got bored, she'd invariably start thinking about her fun night with Ron, and tonight was no different. What was different tonight was when she looked at her phone, she decided she'd give him a call and see what he was up to. She had decided against doing this sort of thing before because she knew Kim was in town, but tonight she was just too bored. Besides, she missed Ron, even if she refused to admit it to herself.

_'I know Kim's in town and he's spending all his time with her, but maybe he'll be able to chat a while if he's at home.'_ thought Tara as she reached for her phone and punched in Ron's digits.

"_Hello, Stoppable residence."_ Answered a friendly female voice.

"Hi, is Ron around?"

"_Um, yes. May I ask who's calling?"_ Ron's mother was a bit confused. She wasn't used to hearing female voices asking for her son on the phone, unless they belonged to Kim. And this voice definitely wasn't Kim's.

"This is Tara Strong, I'm a friend of his from school." answered Tara politely.

"_Okay, wait just a moment and I'll put him on."_

A minute later, Ron's voice came over the phone. _"Hey Tara, what's up?"_

"Not much, just calling to say 'hey' and see what you're up to." was Tara's honest reply.

"_Ah, not much, just marinating in front of the TV with Rufus. KP is spending tonight with the fam." _answered Ron.

"It's pretty much the same thing over here." said Tara. "I've had the whole day off of work and now I've got nothing to do."

"_We have exciting social lives."_ remarked Ron in a sage voice.

Tara laughed. Before thinking, she blurted "Want to do something tonight?" _'Tara! You've got to stop doing that!'_ she thought to herself.

"_Well...I don't see why not. I've got nothing else going on." _ came the hesitant answer from Ron.

"Okay! Um...what should we do?" Tara was floundering a bit. She hadn't meant to ask Ron if he wanted to go somewhere, and now she had no idea what to do. "Want to just meet someplace and figure it out from there?"

"_Nah, why don't I just go to your place with my car? You still live in Mallory Park, right?"_

"Oh, yeah. That's a good idea. Are you just going to leave now, then?" asked Tara.

"_Yeah. I'll be there in a little while. See you then."_

"Okay. Bye, Ron."

As soon as she set the phone down, Tara ran for her closet to find something to wear. She was sifting through her skirts when she realized what she was doing.

_'What the heck am I getting all dressed up for? I'm just hanging out with a friend.'_ she asked herself. She took a look in the mirror, and decided that the comfortable flower-print shorts, white sneakers, and tight t-shirt she had on were just fine for a casual evening. She took another look in the mirror.

_'A little extra touch of lipstick couldn't hurt though.'_

Tara walked down to the living room to tell her dad that she'd be out for the evening. Karl Strong was sitting on the couch, going over his receipts and work orders for the very small one-man plumbing operation he ran.

"Dad, I'm going to be going out with a friend in a little while. I should be home before it's too late."

Mr. Strong didn't really look like his daughter, but it was clear where she'd inherited her bright blonde hair and bright blue eyes from. In contrast to Kim and Ron's fathers, who were white-collar types, Mr. King looked the part of a working man. Quite burly, with a slightly paunchy middle covered by a plaid work shirt, and a day's worth of stubble on his face. He looked up at his oldest daughter with a smile and responded.

"Oh? Going out with cheerleading buddies?"

"No. With a guy friend from school. Remember Ron Stoppable, the guy who saved me from that thing at Wannaweep."

"Oh, the school mascot? Got a first date with him, eh?" he teased.

"Dad! No, he's just a friend. Besides, he's already dating Kim. You know, the girl from the squad who always saved the world?"

Mr. Strong picked up on the slightly sad tone Tara took when she mentioned Kim, so he decided to drop it.

"Alright, have fun. And try not to come home _too_ late."

"Okay, dad. He'll probably come in before we leave, if you want to talk to him."

"Alright, I wouldn't mind saying hi. You might want to keep Katie and Robby away from him though, or he might be interrogated." chuckled Mr. King, his eyes lighting up with amusement.

"Ugh." Tara's bratty middle-school-age siblings were a constant source of annoyance.

Meanwhile, Ron was in his trusty Buick, trying to remember which street Tara lived on. He'd only been there once, for a cheer squad thing, and that had been years ago.

Mallory Park was quite different than the upper-middle class subdivisons Kim and Ron lived in. Expensive modern homes, German sedans, and large, immaculately manicured lawns gave way to small post-war homes, older pickup trucks and work vans, and small lawns. It was quiet and safe, but very much a working class neighborhood. And, all of the houses were looking very similar to Ron at the moment.

"Aw, this tanks. I can't find the place!" Ron muttered to himself. He'd left Rufus at home with a pile of sliced muenster and Everlot running on his PC. Ron cursed himself again for not remembering to ask Tara what street she lived on.

Eventually, Ron pulled up to the modest, well-kept yellow bungalow with the 'STRONG'S PLUMBING' van parked in the driveway. He knocked on the door, and Tara answered and beckoned him in.

"Hi Ron! I was wondering when you were going to get here. I thought maybe you'd gotten lost."

Ron sheepishly grabbed the back of his neck. "Me? Lost? Naaaawww...heh heh heh...So, what's the agenda for tonight?"

"Good question."

At that point, Robby and Katie, Tara's fraternal twin younger siblings walked in. Ron noticed that both of Tara's siblings looked a lot like Tara's dad, except with light brown hair and brown eyes. When they saw Ron, they made a beeline for him and began asking questions.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Ron."

"How old are you?"

"18."

"Where do you live?"

"Rocky Mountain Estates."

"Why are you here?"

"To hang out with Tara."

"Are you going out tonight?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"Then, why are you going out with Tara?"

"Because she's my friend."

"What's your girlfriend's name?"

"Kim."

"Is she pretty?"

"Yes."

"Prettier than Tara?"

"Uhhhh..."

"Does this remind you of that one scene from _Uncle Buck?"_

"Definitely."

Tara, who had been standing there for the whole exchange, was slowly starting to boil over. Mercifully, Mr. Strong walked in before she could explode.

"Robby, Katie, leave Tara's friend alone!"

"Yes, dad." The twins took off in different directions.

"Hi Ron!" Mr. Strong greeted Ron with a handshake. "It's been a while, hasn't it. I haven't seen you since the cheer squad parent's night."

"Yep, been a while. Heh-heh." Ron knew the hulking man was harmless, but he always got nervous around huge authority figures. Barkin seemed to have left that imprint on him.

"And I never really did thank you for saving Tara from that swamp guy. That really meant a lot to me. Thanks, Ron." he paused before continuing. "You know, if things don't work out with you and Kim, Tara's a great gir..." Mr. Strong didn't get a chance to finish.

"BYE DAD! I'll be back before too late!" exclaimed Tara as she grabbed Ron and shoved him out the door, slamming it behind her. Mr. King just laughed.

"Oh, kids."

* * *

"Good to see you again, Ron." said Tara as they drove out of Tara's neighborhood.

"Same here, Tar." replied Ron. "So, what should we do tonight?"

"I honestly have no idea. Sorry about asking to hang out without having any idea what to do."

"Aw, no worries there, Tara! The RonMan is all about making it up as I go!" Tara laughed at that. Then, Ron's stomach didn't so much growl, as snarl angrily. "And the RonMan is also all about getting something to eat, I think..." Ron looked quite sheepish.

"Bueno Nacho?" Tara knew what he wanted.

"A booyah!"

A short while later, the two had pulled into the Bueno Nacho parking lot. Tara insisted on paying for them both this time around, so Ron sat down in his usual booth while Tara went and got her usual Chimmirito combo and a few grande-sized Nacos for Ron.

"Hi, Ned. I'll have a number 2 combo with a small diet Coke, plus a Slurpster and 3 Nacos, all grande sized." said Tara.

Ned had watched the two teens come in, and after letting his eyes follow Ron to the usual booth, he was giving Tara a strange look.

"Ned!?"

"Oh, sorry. That'll be 10.49 please." Ned quickly replied in his usual nasally twang. Tara paid him and Ned made change and went to fetch the order.

Ned's stare hadn't gone unnoticed by Tara. _'Please don't look at me like that. It isn't what it looks like.'_

Seconds later, Ned had the order on a tray and ready to go.

"Have a muy bueno evening!"

As usual, Tara was a bit unnerved by Ron's barbaric table manners, but ignored it.

"So, what do you want to do after we're done here?" she asked.

"Dunno." was Ron's only reply around bites of his Nacos. "Usually I'd be at the mall with Kim or the arcade with Felix on nights like this." Tara looked nonplussed.

"Let's try something different, then." Inspiration struck. "Ever gone bowling, Ron?"

"Bowling? Not since I was a kid."

"Wanna hit up Middleton Lanes? It isn't a league night."

"I guess that sounds like fun." Ron seemed a little hesitant.

"You sound unsure." Tara raised an eyebrow. "I think somebody knows that he won't win any games."

"Is that a challenge?" Ron shared her amused look.

"It is what it is, Mr. Stoppable."

"If I get all big-heady and let my manly ego accept your challenge, I'm going to get my butt handed to me, aren't I?" asked a smirking Ron.

"Maybe."

"Well then, to the lanes!" Ron struck a pose as he jumped out of his bench.

20 minutes later, the two blonde teens were sitting on a lane at Middleton Lanes, lacing their funky rental shoes.

"You know, I always wonder who wore these things before me. I hope it was somebody with good hygiene, at least." Ron mused as he laced his shoes.

"I know. If I had thought of this before we left, I would've grabbed my own shoes and ball."

"You've got your own bowling shoes and bowling ball?" asked Ron.

"Uh..heh...yeah." Tara looked a bit sheepish. "Bowling was always a thing in my family. Sometimes we still go. "

"Coolio! My family's idea of a night out involves actuarial conferences." Ron pulled a face.

"Ouch. Well, find a ball and let's bowl." Tara took a second look at Ron's giant paws. "You might want to look down near lane 20, that's usually where they keep King Kong's bowling balls."

"Har Har." chortled Ron as he went off in search of a bowling ball.

Ron never had a chance. Tara was an expert bowler, hitting strike after strike and picking up every spare when she didn't get one. Her form was impeccable. And her bowling was excellent too.

Ron, on the other hand, looked like a drunk trying to wrestle a cannon ball. The balls that didn't go in the gutter, typically knocked down one or two pins. Once he'd managed to trip over his own feet and go sailing face-first down the lane, hand still firmly attached to his bowling ball.

Still, Ron had to admit he was having a glorious time, and his laughter at his own antics showed it. And, as he looked around, he had to admit this didn't seem like a bad place. Arcade machines in the corner, a place to buy nachos and pizza, most of the people seemed friendly enough. It was obvious that a few of them knew Tara. Ron decided he could come back here sometime.

Of course, if Ron had known what was happening at his own house, he might've not gone there at all.

* * *

The Stoppable's phone rang for the second time that evening.

"Hello?"

"_Hi Mrs. Stoppable. Is Ron there?"_ Kim had returned home from a trip to J.P. Bearymore's with her family. After an evening spent with the Tweebs in _that_ place, she was in desperate need of some Ron time.

"I'm sorry Kimmie, but he left a few hours ago. I think he went to a friend's house. A girl named Tara Strong called right before he left."

"_..."_

"Kim?" Mrs. Stoppable asked the silence.

"_Sorry!"_ Kim snapped out of it. _"I'll try his cell. Thanks Mrs. Stoppable."_

Ron's cell rang and rang, but it went to voicemail every time. This was simply the result of Ron having poor organizational skills and leaving his cell phone in the backseat of his Buick for two weeks, where it had been since the call from the recruitment office, but Kim immediately began thinking the worst.

By the time she'd decided to turn in, Kim had worked herself up so much that sleep was nearly impossible.

_'This is the second time I've heard Tara's name with Ron's. And now he'd not answering my calls. He's going to have some 'splaining to do tommorrow.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Middleton Lanes:

"I don't think I can take any more humiliation." laughed Ron as he added up the scores for the third time.

"It's getting late, let's call it a night." agreed Tara.

The two of them returned their balls and shoes and went out to Ron's car. As he was unlocking the doors, Ron noticed that his cell phone was on the floor of the backseat, and it's screen was lit. He grabbed it and checked the call list.

'KP' was listed 6 times.

_'Oh man.'_

The ride back to Tara's was quick and uneventful. Ron walked her to the door when they got there.

"Well, that was fun." said Ron.

"Yeah, it was nice to bowl again. It had been a while."

"Could've fooled me."

"Ha ha." Tara's eyes caught Ron's for a second and the two blondes found their eyes locking. The blue orbs looked a bit hopeful. "Well, goodnight!" Tara exclaimed awkwardly, breaking the eye contact and jumping into her house, shutting the door quickly. Ron simply stood there for a moment before leaving.

When Ron got home, he tried to call Kim, but there was no answer at the Possible home. Everybody had gone to sleep.

* * *

Ron had to work a day shift at Smarty Mart on Friday, so he didn't have a chance to call Kim that morning. He had planned to call her as soon as he got home from work, but there was no need. She was already at his house, waiting for him.

"Hey Ron."

"Hi KP!" Ron rushed up to give his girlfriend a kiss.

Kim accepted the kiss before they went in the house. "I missed you last night, Ron." said Kim as she sat down on the Stoppable's sofa.

"Yeah, I knew you were spending the night with the fam so I hung out with a friend."

"Tara?"

Ron was a bit surprised. "Yeah, actually. How'd you..."

"Your mom told me over the phone."

"Ah."

"Ron, I don't want to sound like the crazy jealous girlfriend, but that's the second time I've heard that you were spending time with her, and last night you didn't answer your phone and..." she was starting to sound a bit excited.

Ron cut her off "KP, we're just a couple of friends hanging out. She called me up and asked me if I wanted to go bowling, and I said sure."

"You went bowling?" This aspect of Tara was news to Kim, and Ron had never talked about bowling before.

"Yeah. I left my cell phone in the car when I was at the bowling alley."

"I guess that explains why you didn't answer..."

"Kim, is there something you want to say?" Ron asked earnestly, sitting down close to his gf.

"Just...why Tara? Why now? I know she had a crush on you once before, and now I'm leaving the country and she's here and spending time with you and..." Kim was getting excited again.

"We're just friends, Kim. I told you, we're both going to LTC so we're hanging out now and then. Don't you trust me?" Ron was hurt at what Kim was suggesting.

"I'm sorry Ron. I guess I'm getting carried away here. I just got so worked up last night when I found out you were with Tara and then you didn't answer your phone." Kim was starting to sound a bit sheepish.

"Come on, KP. I wouldn't trade my bon-diggity girlfriend for anything." Ron nuzzled in close to her and gave her a small kiss. They enjoyed the kiss for a few moments before breaking it.

Kim spoke up again, voicing an insecurity that had been plaguing her since the conversation at the airport. "Ron, would you feel better if I stayed around here? I'm sure I could go to school in Upperton, or another..."

Ron held up a hand to stop her. "I don't think that would be a good idea, KP."

"Why's that?"

"Because I know my Kimila. She's brilliant, competitive, and always strives for the best." said Ron with a smile as he ran a hand through her hair. "If you went to a lesser school on my account, I'm afraid you would get tired of it, tired of the lack of challenge. I don't want you to resent me for making you go to a lesser school on my account."

Kim wanted to argue, but she couldn't. "Ron, you know me better than I know myself." she said as she snuggled against him.

"I know." smiled Ron. "And, from now until the day you have to go back, the Rondo is at your beck and call. We're doing anything you want to do."

"I'm flying back this Sunday, so why don't we squeeze one more date in tommorrow night?" asked Kim.

"Mmm...I like that idea." mumbled Ron between snuggling and kissing his girlfriend.

"Ron?"

"Yeah KP?"

"Are you parents usually asleep at this hour?"

"mmmhmm"

"Good."

The making out continued well into the night.

* * *

Saturday's date proved to be spectacular. Kim looking like a goddess in her shimmering, light blue dress, Ron looking very dapper in his white and black tux with the purple vest, and a great dinner at _Chez Couteaux_, one of the finest restaurants in Middleton. After dinner, the couple went to see the _Agony County _movie at the Middleton Cineplex. The couple had a fabulous time.

The real fireworks didn't begin until the pair arrived back at the Possible home.

Once again, the place was deserted. The Possibles had their own date and the Tweebs were sleeping over at friends' houses. Kim had known about this, but Ron didn't. Once again, they found themselves on a couch, letting their hormones out of the barn.

Ron felt a hand move from under his shirt to the waistband of his pants.

"Kim!" he rasped.

"Mmm..." was her only response as she continued kissing him and letting her hand wander.

"What...?" the heavy breathing was making it difficult to communicate.

"I want this, Ron. I want you." Ron felt her press a small square of foil into his other hand. "We're going to be apart for a long time. I want to share this before we're separated. I want us to give each other something to think about while we're at school. I want you to know how much you mean to me. I love you, Ron."

Deep down, Kim knew her baser instincts were coming out. She was claiming her territory. Putting her mark on Ron, truly making him hers. And, more than that, she _did_ want to share this with him.

When Ron looked up and saw the raw desire in Kim's eyes, something in him snapped. He didn't hesitate.

In the ensuing throes of passion, any confusion Ron had experienced in the past weeks evaporated completely.

* * *

AN 2:

Oh dear. Sex complicates everything, doesn't it? I'm not trying to earn a rating higher than T here. If anyone thinks the end scene is too much, just say so.

The airport stuff is just a silly nod to Denver International, an airport I've never enjoyed going through. There are/were a lot of weird murals and I've seen the other strange things (like the floor inscriptions and random Masonic-type symbols) on my various trips through the place. There are a lot of tinfoil-hat type rumors about the place floating around on the internet. I figured it would be a cute, silly nod to the almost universally-accepted fannon fact that KP lives in Colorado.

Justine Flanner's 'plasma-cell-powered fusion cutter' is a nod to the Jeron Fusion Cutter construction tool from the early 90s LucasArts Star Wars FPS _Dark Forces_, which has long been a favorite game of mine. It was one of my favorite weapons from the game, a rather brutal 4-barreled thing that was great for clearing hallways. Or, in Justine's case, keeping potential mates away from her Felix! And while on that subject, I don't know why I paired Felix and Justine here, other than it seems like the place both of them would be attending school. And maybe I think Justine is sexy. I'm weird.

I need to start working on how I break the chapters up. Each one is getting longer than the next, and I'd like them to be more equal.

If you've read all three chapters, you've got no reason to not leave a review, I'd say. Tell me if you like it, or even if you hate it, at least tell me what I'm doing wrong.

AN 3: I just went through and had to edit some things. Specifically, I forgot that I made Tara's surname 'Strong' in the first chapter. And in chapter 3 she's somehow become Tara King...durrr. Fixed that.


	4. My Own Place

Chapter 4 has arrived! Kim has gone back to Ingurlandia and it's moving day for Tara! Exciting! Actually, this is more of a filler chapter. Just a day-in-the-life event I'm tossing in because I mentioned it earlier.

Sorry about the delay since chapter 3. Recent college grad trying to find a job and all that. I'll do what I can.

If I mention it in this story, I don't own it.

* * *

Chapter 4 – Moving Day

"Guuuurrrnnnngggghhhh...what?" mumbled Ron as his Official GWA Steel Toe 'ringside bell' alarm clock assaulted his ears. _What's the deal? I don't have work today..._

As Ron slowly came to, he realized that today he was supposed to be at Tara's house at 7, to help her move to her new apartment in Lowerton, just like he'd promised he would. Ron was happy for the diversion. Kim had left for the UK six days ago and all he'd done since then was think about that one evening with Kim and work double-shifts at Smarty Mart to earn some extra green and distract himself until he started school. _I really miss Kim already. And not just because of...that...even though 'that' was pretty bon-diggety..._

Ron shut down the alarm and hauled himself out of bed so he could shower and get ready. Tara only lived about fifteen minutes away, so he had time to fix himself a decent breakfast and shower before he went anywhere.

As Ron lathered his hair and hummed the 'Naked Mole Rap' in the shower, he realized that today was pretty much the first time he'd thought about Tara since their bowling night. She'd called him a couple days ago to let him know she was going to be moving this weekend and asked him to help, but other than that, they hadn't seen or heard from each other since. _I hope she's not too mad at me...friends don't normally ignore each other for a week. _

After his shower, a bathrobe-clad Ron grabbed the newspaper from the front porch and then proceeded to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. As he munched his bacon, toast, eggs, and grapefruit (Ron's appetite was not dwindling as he got older) and read the paper, he noted that today was going to be quite hot. _Guess I'll just wear shorts and a tee today. Glad I got the Buick's AC recharged last week._ He also noticed that the local section of Middleton Times was running another story about his and Kim's retirement from freak-fighting. _Jeez, it's been months...are they ever going to let this rest?_

Rufus was still out like a light, and Ron didn't think his little buddy would be of much use for moving, so he opted instead to leave a note near his sleeping pet. _I wonder where he learned to read English anyway..._ mused Ron as he scribbled a quick note so Rufus would know where he was and that there was a nice wheel of swiss waiting for him in the fridge. After quickly throwing on a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, Ron jumped into the mighty blue LeSabre and took off for Tara's house.

Meanwhile, Tara was also up and about early in the morning, as she had some last-minute packing and arranging to do before she could move. All of her clothes and accessories were still in her closet and needing to be boxed up, so she was digging through her closet in nothing but a sports bra and panties, trying to find something suitable to wear for manual labor on a hot day before she packed everything up.

She might've also been looking for something that would appeal to a young man while moving on a hot day, but she wasn't going to say that out loud. She settled on a ragged old pair of (very short) cutoff shorts and an old halter top. After tying up her sneakers and putting her hair up in a ponytail, she set about boxing up all of her clothing and everything else that was in her closet. _Ron should be here at 7, I should be able to get this all boxed up by the time he gets here. _

Tara was glad that the weekend was here. Normally she worked a Saturday to Wednesday schedule, but since she needed to get moved this weekend, she'd switched hours and as a consequence had worked for seven days straight and was more than ready for a weekend. Since she and Ron had both worked so much in the past week, she was also happy to be seeing him again. _I haven't seen him once since we went bowling. I wonder how he's been since Kim left._ Tara was jarred from her thoughts by the doorbell ringing at about five past 7. "Coming!"

Tara ran downstairs and looked through the peephole. A smiling Ron with a fisheye effect was the sight that greeted her. She threw the door open with a smile and beckoned him in.

* * *

"Hey Ron! Long time no see."

"Same here, Tar. Good to see ya again!" Ron smiled as he walked in. "So, where's your dad? I figured he'd be helping with the move."

"Oh, he will be. He just went to put gas in his van, he should be back any minute."

"Coolio! So, what should I do?" asked Ron.

"How about helping me bring the boxes in my room down here?"

"Sounds good to me, let's go." replied Ron as he started up the stairs.

Tara followed, slightly put out that he hadn't even seemed to notice her rather skimpy (but practical!) attire.

Ron considered the stack of boxes arrayed before him in Tara's room, and then her rather small closet. "I don't know how you got all of this stuff into that closet, but I think there were some serious physics involved."

"Hardy har, Ron" retorted Tara, sticking out her tongue. "Chop-chop! Start liftin'!" she said to him as she grabbed a box and started bringing it downstairs.

"Uh oh, looks like I'm working for a slave-driver." chuckled Ron as he also grabbed a box and followed Tara down.

As soon as Ron got to the bottom of the stairs, the front door swung open and Mr. Strong walked in, accompanied by his two youngest children. He smiled as soon as he saw Ron. "Hey there, Ronald! Good to see you're going to be helping us today! Is Tara working you too hard?" he asked with a conspiratorial wink than Ron didn't quite understand.

"Yeah, she's a regular old slave driver." agreed Ron. Tara, who'd chosen that moment to walk into the room, retaliated by dropping a box of clothes on Ron's foot. Tara's dad just laughed.

"Well, it's good to see you again, Ronald. And the help will be appreciated, trust me."

Tara's younger siblings, who had been sitting still for well over a minute now, ran out of patience and went over to Ron like a shot.

"Remember us?" they asked.

"Yes." replied Ron.

"What're you doing here?"

"Helping Tara move."

"Where did you get that t-shirt?"

"France."

"You've been to France?"

"Several times."

"Do you still have a girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

"England."

"Why?"

"College."

"You should date Tara instead, then."

"That wasn't even a question!"

"So what?"

"That's better."

"Is that your blue car in the driveway?"

"Yes."

"Do you have poor eyesight, or do you just leave it parked near shopping cart returns?"

"Uhm..."

"Are we annoying?"

"Not really. I was the same way once."

Tara's patience snapped long before Ron's would have.

"Alright Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dork, that's enough! Dad, can't you do something about them already?"

Mr. Strong just laughed. "I'm leaving them at Grandma's for the day. Come on, Squirts, let's go!" said Tara's dad as he urged them out the door. The twins, excited at the prospect of spending the day with their grandparents, needed no further persuasion.

"Ronald, Tara." he called on his way out the door.

"Yeah, dad?" asked Tara.

"I backed the van up the driveway and left all the doors open, so you can just start loading it up while I'm gone. I should be back within an hour."

"Okay! Thanks dad!"

"Drive safe, Mister S!" was Ron's reply as Mr. Strong and his kids climbed into an older Honda sedan and took off.

"Ugh, those little jerks are so annoying!" muttered an irritated Tara.

"No worse than Kim's sibs." offered Ron.

"Well, whatever. Let's get the rest of my stuff." said Tara as she went back up the stairs. To his credit, Ron didn't look at her backside once. He was too busy thinking about his girlfriend to stare at anything but the floor.

The next 40 minutes or so were spent hauling down all of Tara's boxes and then dismantling her bed and bringing that down as well. Thankfully, Tara and her father had already removed the mattresses the night before.

"Well, that should be all of it." said Tara as she panted a little from the exertion. "Let me just run up and make sure we got it all."

Ron started "What?! I didn't catch that."

"You're kind of spacey today Ron, what's the deal?" asked a curious Tara.

"Oh, nuthin'. Just thinkin'. Heh-heh." Ron decided not to mention that he was thinking about the girlfriend he missed dearly.

Tara just shrugged and went upstairs. A moment later, she came back down carrying a small box.

"Looks like we missed one, it was behind the door and...EEEEEK!" Tara tripped over a shoelace that had come undone and tossed the box in the air. "Look out!" yelped Tara as she fell down the last couple of stairs.

"Huh? WHUUUUUFF!!" a daydreaming Ron grunted as 110 lbs of runaway blonde crashed into him. Went the dust cleared, Tara was laying on top of Ron, face-to-face.

"Oh Ron! I'm sorry, are you okay?!"

"Don't worry, the Rondo's taken way harder hits than that!" Ron laughed.

"Thank goodness."

"Uh, Tara?"

"Yes, Ron?" Tara's ice-blue eyes were looking a bit too intently into Ron's brown.

"Think you could let me up?"

"Oh!" Tara blushed. At that moment, Mr. Strong made his reappearance, opening the front door and walking in. After a quick glance at the scene at the bottom of the steps, he spoke.

"Come on, kids. At least save it for when you're in private." he chuckled.

Tara leapt off of Ron with such speed that even Kim might've envied her pace. "I just fell, that's all!" she squawked, trying to hide her beet-red face.

"I'm sure you kids were behaving. Ronald, come and help me put these mattresses in the van."

"Yessir!"

By the time another couple of hours had passed, everything had been loaded into Mr. Strong's plumbing van and into Ron's Buick.

"Are you going to ride there with Ronald?" Mr. Strong asked Tara.

"Of course."

"Well then, you can tell him how to get there." Mr. Strong looked at his watch. "There's a Cow 'N Chow off exit 124. By the time you get there, it'll be lunchtime. Meet me there and I'll treat you two."

"Sounds good, dad."

"Thanks Mr. S."

With that, Mr. Strong locked the door, hopped into his van, and took off with a wave. Tara and Ron jumped into the Buick and did the same.

* * *

On the way to Cow and Chow, Tara and Ron made some idle conversation.

"So, what did you and Kim do while she was here?" asked Tara.

"Oh, you know, just usual BF-GF stuff. Dates, trips, family stuff, all that."

"Anything else?"

"Uhhmmm...not really." Ron was looking a bit uncomfortable, so Tara didn't push it.

"So, how's your week been?"

"Ugh, long and boring." groaned Ron. "I put in 60 hours at Smarty Mart this week! Sixty hours with Barkin! That's like a nightmare! I'm trying to pick up some extra dough before school starts though, so that's how it's got to be, I guess."

"Ech, yeah. I hear that. I've been working as many hours as possible too. And I had to work 7 days straight because of this weekend." Tara paused. "At least I didn't have to work with Mr. Barkin, I can only imagine what that's like. 'Staaaapable! Those lawn chairs are not stacked according to Smarty Mart regulation!'" laughed Tara as she did her best Barkin impersonation.

"Oh sure, mock my pain!" laughed Ron from the driver's seat.

The two pulled off the highway and into the Cow 'N Chow parking lot, where Tara's dad was already waiting. He greeted the two and they all went in.

"Alright guys, what do you want to eat?" asked Tara's dad as he reached for his wallet. Ron and Tara pondered from the counter. They decided simultaneously and looked down to give their order to the cashier, only to stop dead when they got a look at him.

_Holy crap, that guy looks just like Ned! _

Indeed, the young man working the counter looked just like the long-suffering Bueno Nacho assistant manager. Right down to the haircut, glasses, acne, and pants that were pulled up way too high. He even had a necktie! The only difference was that the Cow and Chow employee had a mustache and thin goattee.

"Uhm...can I take your order?" he asked, after being unnerved by Ron and Tara's staring.

"Oh, right!" Tara looked sheepish. "I'll have a number 2 with a diet coke."

Ron was studying the employee's nametag. _Zed?_ "And for you, sir?" Ron snapped out of it.

"I'll have a number six, Heifer-sized with extra cheese and a red slushie."

Zed punched in their orders. Mr. Strong told Ron and Tara to find a table before giving Zed his order, paying for it, and waiting for it to be completed.

Meanwhile, Ron and Tara had found a table.

"Oh my gosh, did you see that guy?!" asked Tara. "He looked just like Ned!"

"Yeah, except Ned doesn't have a goattee." Suddenly, Ron jumped up in his seat. "Maybe it's Ned's evil twin, from another dimension! He's going to hunt Ned down and then kill us all!"

"Uh, Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"Amp it down a bit."

"Right. Hey, did you see his nametag? He's even got a similar name."

Tara's curiosity was piqued. "Oh really? What was it?"

"Zed."

"Are you serious?" she asked. He was.

Tara paused for a moment. "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead." They both laughed.

"I wonder if he rides a chopper named Grace." mused Ron.

Tara's dad came back with the food and the trio ate quickly before getting back on the road. They arrived at Tara's new apartment a short while later.

* * *

"Well, you won't be having any dance parties up here." said Ron as he took in the tiny studio apartment. Not that there was too much to take in. About 400 square feet contained a sleeping space, living space, and a tiny kitchenette that made Ron almost cringe. Still, it looked clean and well kept.

"Yeah, but it's good enough for a poor student like me." replied Tara. "Well, the sooner we start, the sooner we get done." she said as she clapped her hands together and moved to head back out to the van and start unloading.

"Yes, slavedriver." joked Ron, much to Mr. Strong's amusement.

A couple of hours later, almost everything was in the apartment, save for Tara's mattress and box spring. Tara's dad wanted to bring it up with Ron, but Tara stopped him.

"Dad, think you could just assemble the bed, instead? Ron and I can get the mattresses."

"Are you sure? I mean, Ron and I..." he was cut off.

"Come on, dad. I'm not made of glass. Besides, if I could hold Liz and Marcella's big butts over my head for half a football game, I'm sure I can handle a mattress."

"Okay okay." Tara's dad chuckled. "I'll get the bed together."

Some grunting and sweating (plus a little cursing) later and Ron and Tara had the mattresses up in the apartment. Ron decided there were better ways to grunt and sweat that involved a mattress, but he didn't say it out loud. But, he did have something to say.

"Ugh, that thing weighed a TON! What do you need a bed that big for in this tiny apartment, Tara?" asked Ron as he wiped his brow and looked at the queen mattress he'd just lugged up 3 floors.

Tara decided now was as good a time as any to get back at her dad for his earlier comment following her fall. "What if I decide to let a male suitor spend the night?" Ron didn't have an answer. But, the clangs and clatters that followed as Mr. Strong dropped the nuts, bolts, and wrenches he was using to assemble the bed frame all over the floor let Tara know that the comment had the desired effect on her father. "Just kidding, daddy." she laughed.

After the bed was together, Mr. Strong decided to head home. "Alright, I'm taking off. Have fun kids...but not _too_ much fun." he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Dad!"

"Alright, alright!" Tara's dad laughed before kissing his daughter on the cheek and taking his leave with one final goodbye.

"Ron, thanks again for helping us. That's really nice of you." Tara's gratitude was genuine.

"Huh?" Ron had been caught daydreaming again. A certain red-haired beauty was still the star.

"Jeez, you're still in space-ranger mode! What's got you so distracted today, Ron?"

"Oh, nothin'." Ron decided not to mention that he'd been distracted all week.

"Hmm, it's not that late. Ron, want to try out the new TV and DVD player I bought? I brought all of my DVD's with me."

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright, I'll set up the TV. Why don't you go make us some popcorn? I already plugged in the microwave and the box with the food in it is right in front of the fridge." asked Tara.

"I'm not sure if Chef Ronald can operate in such a kitchen, but he'll try." joked Ron as he walked the 3 feet to the kitchenette.

While Tara set up the little 15" LCD TV and DVD player she'd bought for her apartment on the little TV cart, Ron dug through the box of ramen noodles, mac and cheese, granola bars, and other dry foods Tara had bought from Mart's Club (the Smarty Mart warehouse shopping club) so she could eat until she had time to do some meaningful grocery shopping. In a short while, they were ready to watch. Ron brought a big bowl of microwaved popcorn in and plopped down on the small sofa that made up the sum total of Tara's furniture. "You need a coffee table. And an area rug"

"It would really tie the room together, man..." agreed Tara.

"So, what are we watching?" asked Ron. Tara tossed him a DVD case as she put the disc in the player.

"_Throw Momma From the Train?_ I've never heard of this." said Ron as he looked the case over. "Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito? Can't be too bad."

"It's pretty good." agreed Tara. "Anne Ramsey is such a horrible monsterwoman in this that you won't believe it!"

Tara plopped her scantily clad self down right next to Ron, but unlike last time she didn't get embarrassed and try to scoot away. Unfortunately for her, Ron didn't seem to notice. After about half an hour, he barely seemed to notice the movie either. Tara kept nudging him to see if he was awake.

After the movie's dramatic and hilarious conclusion, Ron decided that he'd better head on home.

"Thanks again for helping me move, Ron. That really means a lot to me." said Tara as they made their way to the door.

"No problem. I'm always happy to help friends out." replied Ron with his trademark lopsided grin.

"Well, thanks again. And make sure you visit!" chided Tara as they reached the door. "One more thing." Tara gave Ron a quick peck on the cheek, not unlike the one at Wannaweep 3 years prior, before gently shoving him out the door so he wouldn't notice her red face.

Ron simply stared at the door for a second, before walking out of the apartment building and jumping into his car to go home. Kim was on his thoughts for pretty much the entire trip, and would remain there until Ron's head hit his pillow.

Back inside, Tara was thinking about the day. _What was up with Ron today? He was totally out of it and it felt like he barely noticed me at all._ Tara was tired and couldn't figure out why Ron had acted the way he did, though she suspected a certain redhead might've had something to do with it, so she decided to simply shower and go to bed early. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of unpacking, furniture rearranging and possibly grocery shopping.

_A certain blonde male suitor might've been welcome._ Was her last thought as she drifted off.

* * *

Well, that's another one in the books. Much shorter than the last one as well, I think. Reviews are always appreciated, even if you hate my story. And if you've read all 4 chapters, you have no reason not to leave one! I'll try to be regular with the updates, but I make no promises.


	5. A Day in the Life

OMG AN UPDATE!!1

I don't own Kim Possible, or anything else I mention in this story.

I realize the timing of this chapter between the 3 characters is a bit Pulp Fictionish with it's out-of-orderness, but I didn't like the way the chapter worked any other way. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

* * *

Ron hummed and drummed his fingers along to the tune as he piloted his car towards his second-shift job at Smarty Mart. It was early October, about 4 months after Kim's departure to the UK, and about 2 months into classes for Ron, Tara and the other students at LTC. In that 4 months, it seemed like Ron had spent the whole time working, at school, and occasionally spending time with the Tweebs, Wade, friends from LTC, and Tara. Especially Tara. A few people at LTC thought the two blondes were dating. Ron had to chuckle at that. It reminded him a little of his freshman and sophomore years of high school, where he felt like he was constantly reminding people that 'Kim is so not my girlfriend!'.

Weather-wise, it was a pleasant, sunny fall day. The leaves were changing, the sky was clear, and the cracked-slightly-open window of Ron's car was sending a refreshing breeze of cool, fresh October air into Ron's face and hair. And, on top of all that, the oldies station was playing one of his favorite O'Boyz songs. It seemed that the O'boyz disbanding and not releasing an album in three years had relegated them to oldies radio. Ron had stopped trying to keep up with the popular music scene. Ron turned the volume up a bit, before noticing that his teeth were vibrating and turning it back down.

The Tweebs might have refused to trick out Ron's Buick entirely, but they had no qualms about upgrading certain aspects of it, such as the stereo system. The LeSabre's old AM/FM stereo with a broken cassette deck and 4 fuzzy speakers had been chucked out in favor of a strange-looking CD player and many tiny speakers that the Tweebs only described as 'experimental'. Whatever they were, they certainly had kick. When the time came for the Tweebs to unveil Ron's new stereo, Tim fired it up and cranked the volume. Within seconds, every piece of glass on the car had exploded outward, the tires had all popped, the radiator exploded and sent green antifreeze everywhere, and the airbag blew.

Ron was awestruck, but understandably irritated. Not only was his car damaged, but it would be a day and a half before Ron's hearing returned. But, in true Tweeb form, the car was right as rain only 2 days later. And, Ron had to admit, the stereo did sound great.

_'The O'Boyz really were underrated'_ thought a smiling Ron as he continued along the road. Today had been a pretty good day, so keeping the smile off of his face was difficult. He'd managed to get a good night's rest for once, so he'd woken up early and had been able to enjoy a leisurely shower and breakfast with Rufus, instead of his usual rushed panic of trying to remember to put his underwear on the _inside_ of his pants after showering and then scarfing something down before rushing out the door. Traffic had been light on the way to school and it was equally light now. Thankfully, he had very little homework or studying to do tonight. And, the cherry on top was that Steve Barkin wasn't scheduled at Smarty Mart this evening. Not even the small bump he'd acquired on his forehead after lunch could make this day stink.

It wasn't that Ron _hated_ Mr. Barkin, but the man's overbearing nature hadn't changed a bit now that Ron was a high school graduate and a college student, and it was starting to grate a little. If anything it had gotten worse.

_'I guess he has to double the annoyance factor now that he can't bother me at school AND work_ .' thought Ron ruefully as he drove on. It did seem like Barkin rode his case twice as hard now that he only saw the young man half as much.

Ron was broken out of his reverie by the radio announcer.

"_And that was _Love is Like a Bacon Sandwich_ from the O'Boyz! What ever happened to them anyway? Last I heard was that Dexter was starting his own religion, Dextenetics. I'm sure he'll have good luck with that! That's enough from me, here's a ballad from Canadian band Slaughter..."_

Ron grunted and turned the volume down. If it wasn't the O'boyz or MC Honey, color him disinterested. '_I wonder what Kim's up to?'_ thought Ron as he neared the Smarty Mart employee parking lot. Since she had become busy at St. Catz and Ron had become bogged down with classes and long Smarty Mart shifts, their daily Kimmunicator conversations had become semi-daily, and now were somewhere along the lines of weekly. Ron didn't deny that he wished he and Kim had more time for each other, but he knew he couldn't blame himself or her. This was a busy time in their lives. Just as Ron started thinking about Kim, lyrics from the radio caught his attention.

_And I drive, down this lonely, lonely road  
Oooh I got this feelin', girl I gotta let you go..._

Ron growled and hit the power button to the radio as he was pulling into an employee parking space. _'Another day at Smarty Mart.' _thought Ron as he tugged his vest on and headed towards the timeclock.

As Ron was punching in, a deep voice from behind froze him in place.

"Good afternoon, Stoppable."

Ron spun around. "Mr. Barkin?! I didn't realize you were scheduled tonight."

"I wasn't. Larsen couldn't make it in for his shift. Something about a rabid ferret attack. I don't know the details...nor do I want to."

"So, what's the job sheet for tonight say? Floor duty?" asked Ron hopefully. Ron's favorite task at Smarty Mart was working with customers on the sales floor. He loved to mingle and help customers find what they needed.

"Negative, Stoppable! We've got two trucks to unload tonight. One truckload of various African mammals for the pet department, and one truck of Christmas items, despite the fact that Halloween hasn't even arrived yet. I suggest we do the animals first." Ron was inclined to agree.

'_Great, eight hours in the warehouse with Steve Barkin. Oh well, at least this day WAS going well..._' thought Ron grumpily as he accompanied Barkin to the Smarty Mart loading docks.

"So Stoppable, what have you been doing lately? It's obvious you haven't considered the military like I hoped you would. Your character could use some building, and the Marines would be just the place for it." Asked Barkin as he used a pallet-jack to move a crate of zebra off of the truck and into Smarty Mart. Barkin's attempts at conversation never were spectacular.

"Well..." Ron rubbed the back of his neck. "Mostly I've just been keeping busy with my studies at LTC, and working here. When I've got free time I hang out with friends...usually Tara."

"Tara?" Mr. Barkin perked up a bit. "I don't remember you ever mentioning a Tara before." He knew as well as anyone that Ron spending a lot of time with a woman that wasn't Kim Possible was about as likely as Brett Favre actually retiring when he said he was going to. (AN: ACK! I just channeled S-Chrome...)

"You don't remember Tara? She graduated with me and Kim."

"Please refresh my memory, Stoppable."

"You know, Tara Strong? About my height, long curly blonde hair, blue eyes, on the Varsity cheer squad with Kim? The only one who believed me when I said that Camp Wannaweep was an evil place? That Tara?"

Barkin paused in thought for a moment. "Ah yes, Tara Strong. Nice girl, but a bit of a slacker in her academic studies. Kind of like you, only far less _obvious_ or _irritating_ about it." rumbled Barkin as he fixed Ron with a stare.

"Uh, heh. See, you do remember Tara!"

"Mmmmhmm..." rumbled Barkin as the two men returned to work. "So, you're spending a lot of time with Ms. Strong?"

"I guess so, she's a good person to hang out with." replied Ron.

"Are the two of you...courting?" asked Barkin, one eyebrow raised.

"What?! No! We're just friends!" yelped an obviously flustered and now red-faced Ron. "Still, she has pecked me on the cheek once or twice."

"It seemed like you and Possible were always inseparable, so I was curious."

"Well, Kim isn't around for the time being. I can't just sit alone in my room whenever I'm not working or at school." muttered Ron a little more darkly than he had intended. Barkin picked up on it and silently went back to work with one thought.

_'I hope you know what you're doing, Stoppable.'_

* * *

_8 hours earlier..._

"Ugh!" Kim threw down her pencil and looked out the window. She was studying in her room in the student residence halls, and was bored to death.

For someone as driven, focused, and quick-minded as Kim Possible, book studying was a simple but boring and time-consuming task. Kim had been worried that she would be swamped and over her head at this top-notch world center of education, but she was learning that a lack of Ronshine and world-saving escapades in her life left an extremely active and aggressively type-A person like herself with a ton of surplus energy to burn. In Kim's case, that meant attacking her coursework with the sort of zeal a starving dog might attack a side of beef. Even when she studied for hours on end and exercised in the evenings, she was fidgety and always looking for more to do.

Despite all of this, Kim was enjoying herself at Cambridge. Of course, she had run into a few people who thought a driven, sharp-tongued, opinionated, and famous Yankee like herself had no place at such a prestigious British university, but years of dealing with Bonnie Rockwaller had taught her the best way of dealing with those people: simply not letting them bother her. She had made new friends and was learning more than she ever thought she would.

Kim sighed and looked up. Over her desk, she'd hung up 3 pictures. One was the Christmas picture that had been taken with Ron and the rest of her family. The second was a picture of her and Ron posing in front of Middleton High, decked out in their graduation robes. The third was simply a picture of Ron with Rufus sitting on his shoulder. Both were making ridiculous faces for the camera. It was her favorite. These were her boys.

_'I brought three pictures to school with me and they all have Ron in them_.' Kim chuckled to herself.

_Ron._

God, she missed him. Every day she'd find herself daydreaming about her guy. If she was having a bad day, she could just think about him and she'd immediately feel better. That was, until she realized how far away he was.

Kim often found herself wondering if she'd made the right decision, traveling so far away from everything she knew and loved to go to a prestigious school. Occasionally she thought herself wondering about a transfer to Upperton U or maybe even the University of Colorado. However, two things always stopped her. The first was herself. She'd made a big deal about going to Cambridge, and her pride was still intact, Please and Thank You. She had decided to come here and she was going to stick it out. For a year, at least. Or maybe a semester.

The other thing was Ron. He'd fully and unselfishly supported her decision to come to the UK for school. He'd explained to her that he didn't want her to feel like he was holding her back and for her to end up resenting him for it. She'd been insightful enough to realize that the true intention there was that _Ron _was the one who didn't want to feel like he was holding Kim back.

_'Sometimes that man of mine is just too unselfish for his own good.'_ thought Kim with a smile and another sigh. _Ron._

Snapping out of her daydreams, Kim took a look at her books and decided that reading through the chapters the upcoming test was going to be on for a fifth time today probably wasn't necessary. Grabbing her remote, she flipped on the TV. _'Telly' _thought Kim to herself in an over-the-top cockney accent.

The show that came on was obviously car-related and featured an impossibly tall man with a pot-belly and a haircut that resembled a pile of gray pubic hair sitting in a studio with a live audience and arguing with two other men. One was about 4 feet tall and had impossibly bright, obviously whitened teeth, and the other man had long gray hair and looked like an old lady dressed in a tacky plum-colored corduroy jacket. They were arguing about some new 200mph supercar that most of the people on the planet would never see or own. The tall one thought the new vehicle would "just be rubbish" because it was an American car. The short one thought it was going to be "brilliant!" simply because it looked so cool. And the long-haired one didn't like it simply because he didn't think there would be enough space to "carry me umbrella in the boot."

_'Ugh...deliver me from British television.'_ thought Kim as she spun in her chair and wondered what to do with the rest of her day. Mercifully, a knock on her door answered the question for her.

"Oi, Kim!" It was the voice of Joanna, one of the two close friends Kim had made since coming to Cambridge. Like Kim, she was gifted academically and had a drive to succeed. She was also studying law like Kim. Unlike Kim, she also knew when it was time to have some fun instead of sitting around in a tiny campus residence. And, if Joanna was there, that meant...

"Kim?! Are you up and about?"

Vijan wasn't far behind. Vijan was Kim's other good friend at Cambridge. Unlike Kim and Joanna, his brilliant mind was not matched by his drive to succeed. In this respect, combined with his silly nature and occasional tendency to completely miss the point, he was very much like Ron. So, it was little surprise that he and Kim immediately hit it off.

Vijan was also unrelentingly stereotypically gay. He made the 'Evil Eye for the Bad Guy' crew look like a group of flannel-wearing lumberjacks. Still, he was a good friend and a welcome distraction on a day like today.

Kim let her friends in.

"Hi Joanna! Hi Vijan!" the trio exchanged pleasantries.

"Have you been alone up here all day?" asked Joanna. (AN: I'm not even going to bother trying to give these characters any kind of UK accent, so just like pretend they do or something.)

"Oh, yeah. I came here after class and just started going over the exam materials. You know me, always studying!"

"Kim, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about. There's an international law seminar with guest speakers and guest instructors over the winter holiday break. It's an easy way to pick up 2 credits. I was planning to do it and was wondering if you were interested."

"I don't know, I was going to fly home for the holiday to visit my family and..."

"But Kim, it's such a good opportunity! We need to pick up the easy credits early!"

Kim was about to speak, but Vijan broke in before either woman could continue.

"Say, who's the cute blondie in all of these pictures?" he asked as if the previous conversations had never even happened as he leaned in to study the photos more closely.

"That's Ron Stoppable, he's my boyfriend. He's going to school back in America."

"Oh! He's the guy you used to go on missions with!" said Joanna as she stepped up to check out the photos. "I remember seeing him on the telly." As strange as it sounds, Kim and Ron's escapades rarely made international news. Probably because they were usually dealing with situations that governments and other agencies preferred to keep quiet. A cover story in the magazine _Humans_ was the biggest media story about Kim to date. They'd shunted Ron out of the pictures and most of the story, much to Kim's irritation.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?" asked a mock-hurt Vijan. "Though, I guess now I know why you've been shooting down prime man-candy left and right!" he laughed.

"Yup, he's my guy." agreed Kim. "I don't think I could ever trade him away." she said somewhat wistfully.

"It sounds as though you miss him." said Joanna.

"Yeah."

They both picked up on Kim's slight downturn, so they decided to get right to the main reason for their visit.

"We've all been studying too hard lately! Tonight were going out to have some fun!" It was a Friday, so nobody had classes the next day.

Kim looked at her books. "I don't know, I've got 3 exams coming up and..."

Kim was cut off and dragged out the door.

"Come on, carrot top! Can't have all work and no play!" laughed Vijan as he dragged her out the door.

"Oh all right!" laughed Kim as she was dragged out the door. Deep down, she was glad for this. Another night spent alternating between studies and thinking of Ron probably wasn't what she needed. "So, what's the story on this seminar?" asked Kim as the door closed behind her.

* * *

Tara Strong looked gorgeous as she sat on the bench just inside the main doors into DiMaggio Hall. Tara never looked unattractive, but today she looked especially nice in her knee-length black skirt and the snug, dark blue sweater that the cool October air had made necessary. Tara had been catching the eyes of LTC's male population ever since her first day, but so far none of them had managed to get so much as a date from her. Nobody but Tara really knew why she had refused every male suitor who had come her way. Many people suspected the freckled blonde man she seemed to spend a lot of time with was the main reason. Many people didn't know how right they were.

For this semester, anyway, Tara and Ron's schedules at LTC complimented each other pretty well. They both started class in the mornings, and by the very early afternoon were finished and they could eat lunch together. Some days Ron had culinary courses and he could simply bring portions of his kitchen creations for the two of them to eat somewhere on campus. On Fridays, however, Ron's schedule was classroom only, and that meant a trip to the Lowerton Bueno Nacho, located just south of the campus. Since Friday was payday for both of them, they were willing to give themselves this little luxury.

Tara smiled to herself as she thought of Ron. The two usually got to the school a little early and would simply relax and chat together in the sitting areas located in the school's main passageways for 20 minutes or so before class started. Usually Ron would come barreling in looking like he'd just been thrown out of bed. Today he'd surprised her by actually getting there before she did, and his appearance was neat and relaxed, as though he'd had time to properly put himself together this morning. And on top of all that, he'd even complimented her on her appearance, which certainly gave her the warm fuzzies.

_'I guess he just isn't a morning person.'_ she chuckled to herself. _'One day he'll have a woman waking up next to him who can kick him out of bed bright and early every day.'_ she sighed a little at that and returned to her textbook.

Tara got out of class a good 40 minutes before Ron did on Fridays. DiMaggio Hall was the closest building to the student parking lots, so she always waited at this same bench for him, usually reading her textbooks or notes to pass the time. Most of Ron's classes were in the McCorkle Building, so he'd have to walk across the indoor walkways connecting the school's buildings to meet Tara. As soon as Ron would arrive, she'd greet him with absolutely genuine enthusiasm and the two would head to Bueno Nacho together. She often insisted on paying since they were always using his gasoline to get there. Ron tried to protest but quickly found out that there was no dissuading a determined Tara. After lunch, Ron would drop Tara off at her apartment and then make his own way home.

As if on cue, she heard the telltale sound of many pairs of shoes hitting the school's hallways in the distance. Classes in the McCorkle Building were ending. She looked up and smiled as she spotted a familiar mop of blonde hair coming towards her. She stuffed her book into her bag and grabbed her jacket as she stood up.

"Hi Ron!"

"Hola Tara!" greeted Ron in return.

"Shall we go? I can hear the Nacos calling your name."

"Of course." Tara linked her arm with Ron's, somewhat to his surprise, and the two walked out of the building.

The two made pleasant small talk as they walked along the trails leading to the student parking lots. Since the school had been built with a nature theme, the pathways meandered a bit through the school grounds.

"Oh, I see Jim and Tim finally got your car completely put back together." remarked Tara as they arrived at Ron's vehicle. The carnage (pun not intended) that the Tweebs' stereo had wreaked upon Ron's car was still fresh in her mind. She'd had to fight off laughter when Ron told her about it. Kim's parents had felt bad about the whole thing and let Ron use Kim's Roth SL (after the Tweebs had deactivated most of the advanced devices) to get around until their sons fixed the car and cleaned up the glass that had exploded all over the Possible's garage. Ron liked the Sloth, but the Buick was his car, and he was glad to have it back.

"Oh yeah, I've got ol' Buford back." laughed Ron. "And the new stereo totally kicks, now that Jim and Tim actually have it adjusted properly."

"You call it 'Buford'?" laughed Tara.

Ron opened Tara's door like a gentleman, and closed it once she had seated herself, just like he always did. Once Ron had seated himself in the car and had piloted it out of the school grounds, they began to chat as they always did.

"So, did Jim and Tim get all of the glass they embedded in the Possible's garage walls cleaned up?" asked Tara.

"Yeah, after Mrs. Possible chewed them out!" laughed Ron. "You know, it's a good thing we were all sitting in the car when it happened, otherwise we could've been injured pretty bad." said Ron. The thought of glass flying everywhere wasn't pleasant.

"No kiddin'. So, how are your classes going?"

"Great, I thought the business classes were really going to be dull, but the instructors are actually pretty interesting. And the culinary classes are totally badical! Next week we're going to be making curry!" Ron's enthusiasm for food knew no bounds. "How about you?"

"Well, I love my nursing classes. I can't say I care much for the Gen Ed stuff though. My Classic Literature teacher is a real grumpy-gus. And he wears a tweed jacket and smokes a pipe and everything! Could he get any more stereotypical?"

Ron laughed as they pulled into the Lowerton Bueno Nacho and parked the car. Unlike the Lowerton Cow 'N Chow, no creepy Ned doppelgangers worked here, only the typical mix of high school and college students. As usual, Tara forced Ron into what had become 'their' booth and insisted that she buy lunch since he not only drove her to Bueno Nacho, but was going to drive her home afterwards. After asking what he wanted (and refusing to let him get less than usual simply because she was paying) she went up to the back of the line and waited for her chance to place the order.

While she was doing that, a young BN employee who had been sweeping the floor subtly eased his way over to Ron. He actually looked something like Ron. His build was similar, he was a couple of inches shorter, and his face was in a similar round shape, but it lacked Ron's freckles. His black hair was a similar unruly shock and he wore wire-rimmed glasses. All in all, he looked like a typical geek, much like Ron had been.

"Uh, hi." Ron was startled slightly by the employee's greeting.

"Oh, hi. Uh...do you need to clean this table or something?" asked Ron.

"No, actually. I just wanted to ask you something."

"Oh. Well, shoot, I guess."

"How?"

"Huh?"

The teen made a subtle motion towards Tara's rather alluring backside. "I see you come in here with her at least once a week. I've got to know how a guy like you managed to date a girl like that."

"A guy like me?"

"Yeah. No offense dude, but you kind of remind me of me, and I know I'm a typical high school geek." They both laughed.

"Well, to start, I'm not dating her. I know she had a crush on me in high school, but we've never dated. We're just friends."

"Oh, so she's single, eh?" the teen gave Tara's rear end another appreciative glance.

Ron gave the younger teen a glare that would've frightened Medusa.

"Okay, okay! I won't say anything" laughed the employee, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "But seriously man, you should consider asking her out. I've seen the way she looks at you when you guys are in here."

"The way she looks at me?"

"Yeah. It's the same way my mom looks at my dad when he tells her she looks gorgeous, or when he takes the garbage out without being asked. I think she likes you a lot."

"Oh."

"Alright, I gotta get back to work. Have a muy bueno day!" and with that the teen went back to work.

_'What did I get so bent out of shape for?'_ Ron asked himself as he thought about the way he'd glared at the younger teen when he was checking out Tara. _'It's not any of my business who asks her out, I'm spoken for. Not that he would've had a chance, Tara's been shooting down every guy that asks...' _A minute later, Tara arrived with the food, ending his internal musings. She set the trio of grande-sized Nacos in front of Ron and began munching on her own chimirito combo.

"So, what were you and that guy talking about?" she asked innocently.

"Oh..uh...nothing. Just asking me if I wanted the table cleaned off before I ate." Ron tugged his collar a bit as he lied, but Tara didn't pay any attention.

"I see. Got any plans for the weekend? I know I'll be working." she groused. She didn't really like working weekends at the Lowerton Med Center, but her job as an assistant to the X-ray technicians there was a good way to get used to working in a medical environment, so she took it.

"Nah, probably just homework and hanging out. Unless I get a call asking to come in at Smarty Mart. A lot of employees have been sick lately for some reason."

"Sounds fun."

"Oh yeah, I live a bon-diggety rock 'n roll lifestyle, baby!" laughed Ron. Tara laughed too.

"So, heard anything from Kim lately?"

Ron sighed. "We haven't been talking as much lately. I guess we're both just too busy. Neither of us has the time to talk every day anymore. She says she misses me though. I guess that's just how it is."

"Well, at least you're keeping in touch. I'm still a little surprised she was willing to travel so far away from you." Tara let slip before covering her mouth. _'Ugh...why am I such a blabbermouth around Ron?'_ "Er, I'm sorry Ron. I shouldn't have said that."

"S'okay." was Ron's only reply.

"Oh! Ron! Before I forget, the twins' birthday is coming up next week. On Saturday we're going to have a party for them at the house. Dad's going to grill out and my extended family is going to be there. I'd be really happy if you came!"

"You want me to go?"

"Yeah, it'd be great to have you there. I asked my dad and he said sure. I think he likes you." Tara hoped Ron would say yes. Anything to keep her from having to face her extended family alone.

"You said he's going to grill out?"

"Oh yes. Burgers, brats, ribs, all kinds of stuff."

"A-booyah! Count the Ron-man in!"

"Great!" Tara beamed. Having Ron with her would make the party tolerable. She decided not to tell him about her extended family. Meeting them would be her way of telling him.

By now they had finished their lunch, and got up to dispose of their trash and leave. As they left, the employee Ron had talked to earlier gave Ron a wink. Ron just stared blankly. And then walked right into the glass door.

"Ron! Are you okay?" Tara helped him up.

"Urgh. I'm okay." muttered Ron as he got up.

He left quickly to spare himself further embarrassment, as Tara fussed over the small bump forming on his forehead.

The drive to Tara's place was short and completed quickly thanks to a lack of traffic.

"Are you sure your head's okay? If you come up I could get you an ice-pack, or..."

"I'm fine, Tara. A Bueno Nacho door has nothing on a hench-bot or one of Shego's plasma punches!" laughed Ron.

"Well, okay then. Thanks for the ride home. And thanks for agreeing to come to the party. Remember, my dad's house, next week Saturday. I'll already be there so you can just meet me."

"Sounds great, Tara."

"Alright, bye Ron. See you on Monday" With the speed of a cobra, Tara stole a quick peck on Ron's cheek and hustled out of the car. It wasn't something she did often, but it wasn't the first time either.

Tara blushed the entire way to her apartment. _'Oh Tara, that was really impulsive. Still, kissing his cheek felt...really...great.'_ She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, daydreaming about a day where she could give Ron a quick smooch any time she said goodbye.

Meanwhile Ron sat dumbfounded in his car for a second before leaving. He remembered when she had done it after he helped her move into her new apartment, but unlike that time he wasn't so lost in thoughts of Kim to notice. This time he blushed and put his hand to his face..

_'That felt kind of nice...' _With that, Ron set off for Smarty Mart.

* * *

Okay, as an apology for not updating in ages, you're getting a twofer deal this time around. The next chapter should be cleaned up and on store shelves tomorrow or this weekend at the latest. It'll be all about the party at Tara's. I'm fresh out of college and trying to find a job before I start school again in January, so updates may be a bit sporadic after the next chapter. I'll do my best.

I guess I should apologize if this story is meandering a bit. I hate when fanfics really rush things between groups of characters, but in this case I may be doing the opposite. Oh well.

None of the OC's in this story are going to have any major effect on the outcome, I think. I just throw them in to move the story along. I HATE HATE HATE when OC's get stuck with real characters. It just screams lame-o to me. I know that's a huge glaring hint, but I don't care.

Fans of cars and British TV should recognize the nod to Top Gear on Kim's TV. JAMES MAY RULES! GO CAPTAIN SLOW!

And as always, please leave a review to tell me how I'm doing. I'll take them in all forms.


	6. The Strong Family

Hey, chapter 6 is here! Unfortunately, after this the updates may be sporadic, but I'll do my best.

This one is all about Tara's twin sibs having their family over for a birthday dinner. And Ron was invited! Now he gets to meet Tara's extended family. Sweeeeet...

As usual, I don't own squat, so please don't sue me. I do own a 22 year old Jeep Cherokee, but that isn't featured in this story. Don't forget to leave a review!

* * *

Saturday. A day for self-improvement, exercise, and clean living...if you're Steve Barkin. For Ronald Stoppable however, this Saturday was about the finer things in life. Namely, sleeping in until noon, a double-Grande-sized platter of carryout nachos from Bueno Nacho, and playing the recently-released Zombie Mayhem V (now with fifty percent more mayhem!) in his underwear with his little naked-mole-rat buddy. It did a lot to keep his mind off of things like school and Kim.

Unfortunately for Ron, 'playing Zombie Mayhem V with Rufus' was rapidlyturning into 'being schooled at Zombie Mayhem V by Rufus'.

Rufus was dancing on his controller. "Hnk, flamethrower!" chittered the little rodent as he obliterated a horde of zombies in a spectacular burst of flame. Meanwhile, Ron's character was disemboweled and eaten by a group of zombies, despite his valiant efforts to keep them at bay.

"Aww, no No NO NOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo!!" Ron dropped his controller and fell back in frustration. "I wanted 'kick, spin, crouch' and it went 'spin, jump, kick'! Stupid controller!"

Rufus just fixed Ron with a look. He wasn't buying any of it. "Nacho!" was all the little molerat had to say.

"All right, you win this round, little buddy. I still think you cheated, though." Ron sighed as he shoved an untouched bin of nachos towards his pet, who dived in and began devouring them. A well-earned reward following a small wager on the outcome of the most recent round of Zombie Mayhem.

The zombie-mashing continued well into the afternoon, until Ron's cell phone rang. Before getting up to answer the phone, Ron tossed Rufus the controller and told him to go solo for a while.

"Hello, dis be Ron!"

"_Hi Ron, it's Tara!"_ Tara's greetings for Ron were always enthusiastic.

"Tara, hey!"

"_Well, we're all set over here. You can come by any time. The twins are already asking about you."_

"Really, they want me to be there that much?" Ron was surprised.

"_Oh yeah, they think you're great. Dad's looking forward to seeing you again too." _

Now Ron was really surprised. "Your dad wants me to be there?"

"_Of course. He likes you a lot, Ron. He calls you a 'good kid.'"_

"Coolio! Well, let me just put some pants on and I'll be right over."

The other end of the line was silent.

"_What was that, Ron?"_

Ron facepalmed. "Did I really just say that?"

"_You totally just told me you aren't wearing pants."_

"Oy vey. Well, just try to prevent that mental image from scarring you, I guess."

Tara was wishing she could print out her mental images and hang them on the wall. _"Well, just get over here as soon as you can, Captain Underpants."_ she laughed.

"Yeah yeah yeah. I'll be over there in a half hour or so, alright?"

"_Okay, see you soon, Ron! Goodbye."_

Tara hung up the phone and tried to wipe the blush off of her face. _'Ron in his skivvies. Nice.'_ thought Tara as she skipped off to take care of any last minute dinner prep and prepare-slash-brace herself for the arrival of her relatives.

"Bye". Ron hung up the phone and went over to his closet. _'Jeez, first I tell her that I'm not dressed, next I'll be telling her that I still sleep with a nite-lite.'_ he thought grumpily as he threw the door open.

Ron's hand was hovering over one of his familiar red-and-black rugby jerseys before he stopped. His glance fell to his old blue bowling shirt. _'You know, I haven't worn this in ages. I think I'll put it on today.'_ thought Ron as he pulled the shirt out and threw it on over his usual khakis and sneakers.

Ron grabbed the 2 envelopes he'd put silly greeting cards and a few Bueno Nacho Bueno Bucks in and was about to head out the door when a small "Hey!" from the floor caught his attention. He turned and looked to see an indignant mole rat glaring up at him.

Sorry Rufus, buddy but I think I'd better leave you here at home. There's going to be a lot of strange people at Tara's place and I don't know how they'd react to a naked mole rat grabbing food off the table." Rufus was mollified at that answer, but he wasn't done yet.

"Hnk! Tara! No Kim now!"

Ron sighed. "I know I'm spending a lot of time with Tara. She's my friend from school, and friends hang out, afterall." Rufus just stared. "Look, nothing is going on between me and Tara, alright?"

Rufus looked dubious, but he nodded. He felt that the only potential mate his human should be hanging around with was Kim.

"Alright, I've got to go, so why don't you head downstairs and keep my parents and Hana company, okay? There's a nice block of cheddar in the fridge too. "

"Hana! CHEESE!" Rufus jumped up and ran out of the room. Ron chuckled and went downstairs as well. He came into the living room and found his dad sitting with Hana and Rufus on his lap, watching an episode of the Flippies. His mom was reading in an easy chair.

"I'm heading over to Tara's house now, I'll see you guys tonight." said Ron as he kissed his mom and Hana goodbye.

"You sure are spending a lot of time with that girl, lately." said Ron's mom. "Are you not with Kimberly anymore?" Ron's mom was genuinely curious. Despite Kim's not being a nice Jewish girl, Mrs. Stoppable had thought Kim would make a great future daughter-in-law for many years now.

"Tara is so not my girlfriend!" yelped Ron before calming down. "We're just school friends, alright?"

"Well, I'm sure that's true dear. Have fun." said Ron's mom with a smile before returning to her reading.

"Bye mom, bye dad, bye Han!" Ron waved as he went out the door.

Mr. Stoppable looked up at his wife. "Why are Ronald's friends never other guys?"

* * *

Ron jumped into his car and drove towards Tara's house, popping an MC Honey CD into the changer as he went. When he arrived at the modest yellow bungalow, he was surprised to see that there weren't any extra vehicles at the house besides his own. Only Mr. Strong's tired old Honda and big plumbing van were parked in the driveway.

Ron pulled up across the street, parked, and went up to ring the doorbell. Tara, dressed in a nice button-up shirt and a pair of pinstriped pants, answered. "Ron! You're here!" Tara gave him a quick hug and pulled him into the house.

"So, am I the first one here?" asked Ron as he looked around the cleaned, lightly decorated, and very empty house.

"Yes, but everyone else should be getting here soon."

"So, why did you invite me, anyway?"

"Because you're my friend, silly!" laughed Tara as she bumped the side of her hip into his. "Besides, it's just going to be some of the twins' friends and our relatives anyway. It'll be nice to have someone my age here..." said Tara, trying to look innocent. Ron raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. At that moment, Tara's dad walked in. As soon as he saw Ron, the hulking man rushed over.

"Ronald! Great to see you again!" exclaimed Karl Strong as he crushed Ron's hand with a handshake that left Ron both shaken and stirred.

"EEEEEE...good to see you, Mr. Strong!" Ron winced and wondered if his hand would ever go back to it's old shape.

"Ron, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Karl? Tara, aren't you going to ask your guest if he wants a soda or something?" admonished Mr. Strong as he went back to the kitchen.

"Oh, gosh! I'm sorry Ron, did you want anything?" Tara flushed with embarrassment.

"Some ice for my hand, maybe..." muttered Ron under his breath?

"What?"

"Nothing! I'm good." smiled Ron. "Hey, where are your brother and sister?"

"They're probably in the basement with their friends. They'll be up soon to interrogate you, I'm sure."

"Yeah...I've been meaning to ask why they do that."

"They only do it to people they like."

"Ah."

The doorbell rang.

"Coming!" Tara rushed over and opened the door. A woman in a leopard-print shirt cinched with a pink belt, purple leggings, 50s-style cat-eye glasses, and a very severe orange hairdo rushed in and practically tackled Tara.

"TARA-BELL! Oh, it's been so long! Give your Aunt Minnie a hug!"

"Aunt MinnOOOOOF!!" was all Tara could say as she was enveloped in a crushing hug.

"It's been so long since I've seen you! How do you like college? Oh you look just like your mother! Gosh, Tara...were your boobs always this gigantic?" Aunt Minnie didn't relinquish her old on Tara as she continued to speak in a rapid-fire manner.

"Aunt Minnie!" a badly blushing Tara was mortified at the last comment, mostly because Ron was standing there trying to stifle a giggle.

As Aunt Minnie released her hold on Tara, the man walked in. He was slightly taller than his wife, had longish gray hair, and was dressed in a pink hawaiian shirt and green plaid trousers. He was certainly hard to miss. He gave Tara a big smile, and a far less energized hug than his wife had. "Heya Kid, how you been?"

"Hi Uncle Roger! I've been great!" said Tara as she returned the hug. As she let go, she remembered Ron was standing there.

"Oh, Aunt Minnie, Uncle Roger, this is Ron. He's my..." Tara didn't get a chance to speak before Aunt Minnie cut her off.

"Ooooooh! You must be Tara's new beau!" the garishly-dressed woman exclaimed as she rushed Ron and gave him an equally crushing hug.

"Gurk!" was all Ron could say.

As Tara's aunt let go, she stepped back to take a good look at Ron. "Well, isn't he handsome. Certainly cuter than that artist fellow you were dating last time we saw you. He's got a better sense of fashion too! Look, Roger, his shirt matches Tara's eyes! Hi! I'm Tara's Aunt Minnie, and this is my husband Roger. Tara's mom was my younger sister. Isn't Tara a sweet girl? Maybe it won't be long before I'm your aunt too, hmmm?" She gave Ron a wink. The middle-aged lady seemed capable of speaking for ages without taking a breath.

Tara facepalmed and groaned quietly. .

"Well, actually..." Ron was cut off by Uncle Roger.

"Heya son, I'm Tara's uncle Roger." said the laid-back man as he smiled and shook Ron's hand. "Have you and Tara been dating long?"

Tara tried again. "Um, Ron and I..."

"Aren't they just the cutest couple you've ever seen? Come on, you two! Get close so I can take your picture!" gushed the woman as she pulled a digital camera seemingly out of nowhere.

"Ron and I aren't dating!" a frustrated Tara finally managed to burst out. "He's just my friend!" Ron nodded in agreement.

"Oh. Well." Minnie paused for a moment. "Well, get close anyway! I like the way you two look together and I want a picture!" she said, seemingly not skipping a beat as she shoved them together and stood back. "Smile! Oh, don't be shy, Ron! Put your arm around Tara!"

"Um..." Ron decided to just do what he was told.

Flash!

"Ooh! What a nice picture! Okay, I'll leave you kids alone. Tara, where are the birthday boy and girl?" asked Aunt Minnie.

"Down in the basement with their friends, I think. Want me to go get them?"

"Oh heavens no! We'll go down and surprise them! Come on, Roger!"

Roger obliged. "Nice to meet you, Ron!" he waved as his wife dragged him off.

"Roooobbeeeee! Kaaaaatieeeeee!" They could hear Tara's aunt's voice grow faint as she disappeared into the basement.

Ron turned and looked at Tara, who looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor.

"So, I think I can guess why you invited me."

"Heh-heh..." Tara looked sheepish.

"Not that I blame you. I wouldn't want to face that alone either!" laughed Ron. "Don't worry, it doesn't bother me. Besides, I kinda like them. I can tell they live by the motto 'never be normal' just like I do."

Tara relaxed visibly. "They're actually really fun. They don't have kids of their own, so they tend to spoil us."

Before Tara could say anything else, the doorbell rang again. This time, Tara's dad answered the door. "Mom!"

Tara and Ron looked to see a very small elderly lady standing there, hugging her giant of a son. "Hello Karl!" As she came into the room, her eyes settled on Tara and Ron. "Tara! The old lady came over and gave her granddaughter a hug and a kiss. "How have you been, dear? Are you enjoying school?"

"Grandma Carol! I've been great. I really like LTC! Except for my classical lit professor. He's a real stick in the mud. You wouldn't like him at all." the two women shared a very similar laugh.

The elderly woman's eyes settled on Ron. "Who is this handsome young man. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Oh, no no. Ron is my friend from high school and LTC. Ron, this is my Grandma Carol. Grandma Carol, this is my friend Ron Stoppable."

Ron stepped forward and gave the lady a friendly hug. "Hi Grandma Carol! The pleasure is all mine!"

Carol turned to look at Tara. "Oh, he's so nice. And you two would look so cute together..."

"Grandma!" Tara squeaked while Ron looked away and tucked his hands behind his back.

"Mom, let's go downstairs and see Katie and Robbie." Karl Strong laughed as he winked at the two blondes and led his mother away.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Ron laughed quietly.

"Ron!" Tara's voice had a hint of warning, but it was clear she was trying to stifle her laughter as well.

The doorbell rang for a third time. Ron silently wondered who was going to greet him next.

"Coming!" Tara opened the door to reveal a hulking man who looked very much like Karl Strong, only with a much neater appearance. His hair was clipped into a tight, regulation crew-cut. The much smaller woman standing next to him had dark hair and a pleasant smile. "Uncle Frank! Aunt Deb!" Tara gave them both a hug and beckoned them in.

As Tara was exchanging pleasantries with her aunt, Frank noticed Ron standing near her and walked over to him. Ron couldn't help but notice the Marine Corps tattoo on the man's forearm.

"What is your name, young man?" he asked as he extended a meaty paw to Ron. He spoke in a clipped, no-nonsense manner.

"I'm Ronald Stoppable." replied Ron as he shook the man's hand. Thankfully, Frank's grip was a lot more restrained than Karl's. Ron didn't think his hand could take a second crushing.

"Are you a student?"

"Yes. I go to LTC with Tara."

"Oh, really? So, what are you planning to do with your future?"

"I'm studying business and culinary arts. I'd like to be a restaurateur someday."

By now, Tara and Aunt Deb had turned to watch the exchange.

"Have you ever considered the military? The Corps does a man a lot of good."

"Actually, my teacher-slash-vice principal served in the Marines too and got me to consider it, but I decided to just go straight to college."

"What's his name?"

"Steve Barkin."

"Doesn't ring a bell. He sounds like somebody I'd like though." Frank Strong paused for a moment. "What are your intentions regarding my niece?"

Tara groaned.

"Uh...we aren't really dating, so..." Ron rubbed the back of his neck "we're just good friends I guess my only intentions are to be the most bon-diggety friend I can be to Tara."

"Bon-diggety?"

"Uh, heh...just a word I like to use." Ron chuckled nervously.

"I see. Well, if you were dating Tara, I'd certainly like you better than that wimpy artist guy she used to date. He was too aloof for his own good."

Tara decided it was time to step in. "Ron! This is my aunt Deb, and my Uncle Frank. Frank is my dad's brother, in case you couldn't see the resemblance."

"Oh yeah, their chests look exactly the same!" joked Ron as Frank loomed over him. Even Uncle Frank got a small chuckle over that one.

As they finished exchanging hellos, the rest of Tara's family and her siblings' friends came up from the basement in an orchestra of footsteps. Frank and Deb went over to greet the rest of the family.

Ron chuckled a bit and looked at Tara. "Now I know where your brother and sister get it from." he said with a wink.

"Ron!" Tara laughed as she jabbed him with her elbow.

As soon as Tara's twin siblings heard that Ron was there, they made a beeline for him.

"Ron!"

"Hi Robby, hi Katie."

"Where have you been?"

"Oh, just around. Same 'ol same 'ol."

"So, are you dating Tara yet?"

"No!"

"That's too bad. You'd make a good brother-in-law."

Ron's face turned tomato-red.

"Did you get your car fixed? Tara told us what happened to it."

"Yeah, Jim and Tim fixed it up."

"Jim and Tim?"

"Kim's twin brothers. You know, my GIRLFRIEND Kim? She's got identical twin brothers who are about your age."

"What are they like?"

"Geniuses who like to build things and blow stuff up. They go to high school already."

"They sound cool. Catch you later Ron!" the two kids ran back to their respective groups of friends.

Ron exhaled and turned to Tara. "I'm just getting it from all angles here." he laughed.

"Yeah, having you here distracts them from me." Tara stuck her tongue out playfully at Ron. "This is why I wanted someone I know here to hang out with. If I was by myself they'd all be grilling me about college and why I don't have a boyfriend and asking when I'm going to find a nice young man to settle down with, like I'm some old maid or something!"

Ron laughed. "That sounds rough."

"Yeah." Tara agreed. "Besides, you _are_ a nice young man." said Tara as she turned around and headed towards the kitchen. "I'm grabbing a soda, do you want one?"

"S-s-sure! Cola is fine." said a slightly shocked Ron as Tara nodded and walked out of the room. Ron suddenly felt a little hot around his collar, so he tugged at it. _'What the heck was that?'_

* * *

"Food's on!" bellowed Tara's dad as he came in from the backyard carrying two trays. One was laden with sausages and burgers, and the other with BBQ'd ribs. He sent the two pans on the table with the other foods. "Everybody line up and dig in!"

Ron and Tara wasted no time getting in line and getting some grub. A few people raised their eyebrows at the huge pile of food Ron had arranged on his plastic plate. Ron and Tara made their way over to a quiet corner and sat down on two chairs to eat.

Ron picked up his overstuffed hamburger and proceeded to take a big, sloppy bite of it, seemingly eating half of the burger in one bite and getting ketchup on his face. "MMF! Thish burger ish badical!" Ron enthused through a full mouth. This wasn't the first time Tara had seen Ron's eating habits in action and decided to do something about it.

"Ron! Could you try to NOT eat like a barbarian while my family is around? You do this at Bueno Nacho too!" hissed Tara as quietly as she could. For his part, Ron looked quite sheepish and cleaned his face off, before going back to his food in a far more civilized manner.

"Sorry."

Tara just smiled at him and continued eating. _'Well Kim, he's a really a great guy, but you've got to get him housebroken properly.'_ she thought.

After dinner, everyone gave the twins their gifts, including Ron. The twins were thrilled at the prospect of some free Bueno Nacho food and demanded that Ron go with them sometime. He agreed. As everyone settled down to digest, Tara suggested that she and Ron go outside for some fresh air. They had to shrug off a few 'the lovebirds going off to be alone' jokes from Tara's family before they left, but soon they were safely outside and alone. Ron suggested that they walk around the neighborhood and Tara agreed, subconsciously slipping her arm into Ron's.

As they were walking down the driveway, Ron took notice of the vehicles parked near the house. A very old but completely mint sky-blue Oldsmobile with wire hubcaps and a vinyl roof was parked on the driveway.

"This one must belong to your grandma." mused Ron as he looked at it. He then motioned to a somewhat battered Volvo station wagon with a canoe rack on the roof and a backside that was covered in bumper stickers for various state parks and other vaguely bohemian interests. "And I'll bet this belongs to your Aunt Minnie and Uncle Roger." He then motioned to a gleaming black Suburban with a USMC sticker in the back window. "And that truck has got to be your Uncle Frank's."

"Right on all counts." quipped Tara.

"That's some family you've got." chuckled Ron.

"Ugh. I love them all, but sometimes they're just so weird."

"Sounds like my family." chuckled Ron.

They continued on in comfortable silence for a few moments before Tara spoke again.

"I love family get-togethers like this, but they always remind me of my mom." Tara remarked somewhat sadly. "She lived for this kind of thing."

"You've never really told me what happened to her." said Ron. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to..." he quickly added.

"No, it's okay. She had a few health problems and died when I was 8. Robby and Katie were only 3."

"I'm sorry." said Ron.

"No, it's alright. I don't usually talk about it, it feels kinda good to tell someone who is willing to listen." Tara paused. "It's a real shame she wasn't here to meet you. She would've loved you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she had the same offbeat sense of humor, and she was cool with never being normal." chuckled Tara. "And she liked Big Trouble in Little China." They both laughed at that.

"So, we didn't go to Bueno Nacho yesterday. What had you heading home in such a hurry?" asked Tara, figuring it was a safe time for a subject change.

"Oh, Kim was going to call me on the Kimmunicator and I'd left it at home." said Ron. "We haven't been talking as much lately, so I wanted to be there."

"Oh, cool!" Tara knew that Kim always perked Ron up. "So, what'd you guys talk about?"

"Ah, just the usual junk. We talked about our school, work, our families, that sort of thing." Ron paused and frowned for a minute. "I also told her I was coming here to see you today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She acted like it was 'no big' but I could tell that she was suspicious or maybe a little jealous. I hope she trusts me."

"Well, don't let her hear the things my family was saying, or she'd blow her stack!" Tara and Ron both guffawed at that.

"She also hinted that she might not be coming home at Christmas." said Ron, frowning deeply.

"WHAT?!" Tara's outburst at that surprised even herself. "You haven't seen her in months and now she's not coming back?"

"She said she wasn't sure and that she was thinking about it and hadn't come to a decision yet." said Ron, trying to calm Tara down a bit. "I really hope she decides to come back."

"Ron, if you want her to come back, you need to let her know how you feel." urged Tara, grabbing Ron's arm. "I know you respect her wishes and always put others in front of yourself, but that's ridiculous! A relationship is two people standing side by side, Ron, not one standing on the other's head. You both need to make sacrifices at times, not just you."

"I know. It's just that she must have so much more to accomplish there than I do here. I don't want her to feel like she needs to put her studies behind to see me." Ron was unselfish as usual.

"Ron, I doubt whatever she's going to do over the break is worth more than a credit or two. You're just too unselfish for your own good sometimes. You two have been together for so long and now you're thousands of miles apart. If you feel like you need to see her, you should say so. Besides, Ron, I think part of this is that _you_ don't want to feel like _you're_ holding her back more than you don't want her to think that you're holding her back."

Ron was silent.

"I'm sorry, Ron. I know I'm a blabbermouth sometimes when I shouldn't be, but I had to say something. You're a great friend and I want to see you happy." she hadn't relinquished her grip on his arm.

"Thanks Tara." Ron's smile was genuine. "I'll remember what you said. I'll try to say something."

"Good." said Tara. "I can't promise that it'll go well, when or if you say something, but still. The point remains that you're both in it together and you both need to act like it." Tara tightened her grip on his arm and looked straight in the eyes. "You deserve better than that, Ron. You really do."

"Thanks, Tara." Ron repeated quietly, and broke his gaze away from hers after a moment.

A few seconds of uncomfortable silence descended on the blonde pair.

"Maybe we should go back." said Tara.

"Yeah, it's about time for me to head home anyway." said Ron.

Tara let go of Ron's arm, and the two teens quietly made their way back to Tara's house. After a quick goodbye, Ron jumped into his car and left for home. Tara watched him until his car disappeared from view and then went in the house.

_'You deserve so much better than that, Ron.'_

* * *

Ah, 6 chapters in the books. It's like I'm writing or something. I'm not sure when I'll be updating again, so I decided to get 6 out right after chapter 5.

The next chapter will be shortly in the future and feature Kim's decision about the holiday break. Whenever I get to it.

I never feel like serious/emotional dialogue between characters is ever decent when I do it. I dunno. Maybe I just prefer to write silly stuff like Aunt Minnie's visit. I have to admit, my favorite part of this chapter has got to be Tara getting after Ron for his sloppy eating.

As usual, please read and tell me what you think in a review. Reviews FEED my writing, after all XD. I'd also like to give a great big huge THANK YOU(!) to everyone who has read my story and also everyone who has reviewed my story up to this point. 50+ reviews and 4k hits are way WAY more than I ever expected to get.


	7. NOT A REAL CHAPTER!

_**Butt-head**: Huh huh, your butt kinda looks like baloney. With pimples. _

_**Beavis**: Hey! Why are you so interested in my butt!? _

_**Butt-head**__: Uh...um...that new GWAR album is pretty cool, huh?_

THE LONG-AWAITED SEVENTH CHAPTER IS HERE!

* * *

It was nearly Thanksgiving, and Ron Stoppable was a young man with a lot on his mind. As he sat at his desk in his bedroom loft, he was thinking hard about both the schoolwork in front of him, and of the two young women who seemed to be defining his life lately.

_'Gosh, I really miss Kim. But, I've gotten so close to Tara lately...'_

All of a sudden, Ron experienced something that had never happened before.

His Mystical Monkey Power flared up and sent him into a Mystical Monkey Rut. Ron found himself fully aroused and incapable of coherent thought. He was also glowing a faint shade of blue.

_'Ron horny! Ron need woman!'_

Ron's inner monologue had apparently become Tarzan. Or George of the Jungle. But not the really lame Brendan Fraser version of George of the Jungle.

Unfortunately, Kim was all the way across the Pond in England, so that left only one real option...

_'Ron DRIVE! Oooga-booga!' _thought Ron as he grabbed his bag and jumped into his trusty old Buick.

As he raced towards Lowerton, Ron managed to take out 3 fire hydrants, a stoplight, and also run a bus full of nuns off the road and into a ditch. To their credit, the nuns didn't imprecate Ron _too much._

Upon reaching Tara's apartment building, Ron raced up to her door and threw it open.

It appeared that Tara had been waiting for him.

"Hello, there, Big Boy." she purred from her bed. Monkey-Ron idly noted that she was wearing a blue see-thru babydoll...and nothing else, as he stared and drooled. "Well, are you coming over here or not?" she giggled.

Ron didn't need any more encouragement. He leapt into the air, intending to land on Tara's bed and on Tara, ripping off all of his clothing mid-flight. As he did, the Kimmunicator flew out of Ron's bag and landed in a manner that had it facing Tara's bed. Wade's face popped up.

"Ron! What's the prob...OMIGOD!" shrieked Wade as he saw what was transpiring between Ron and Tara. "Ron! Stop! You're dating Kim! You can't just...just...wow...that is SO hot..." Wade trailed off as his eyes widened even more at what he was seeing.

_'Man, this is WAY better than any sex-ed tape.'_ thought Wade as he began to drool.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in England..._

Kim laughed and said goodbye to her friends as she walked into her apartment. She'd had a great day at school and now she was ready to call Ron on the Kimmunicator and tell him that she did indeed plan on coming home for the holiday break. She decided that she was also going to start dropping hints to Ron that he should start saving for a ring.

As she walked into her room, Kim noticed the Kimmunicator beeping. She ran to it and picked it up.

"What's the sit...WHAT THE HELL?!" screamed Kim as a split-screen popped up on the Kimmunicator.

Though it wasn't really an answer to Kim's question, an emphatic "_YES! YES! HARDER, RON! HARDER! YES!" _from an obviously indisposed Tara gave Kim all the answers she needed.

On the other half of the screen, a panting, sweating, and drooling Wade apparently hadn't even noticed Kim. Kim couldn't see his hands, but the way one of his arms was moving gave Kim more information than she needed.

"SICK and WRONG! ALL OF YOU!" screeched Kim as she ran out of her dorm.

Kim was so enraged that she managed to swim across the entire Atlantic Ocean in only 10 minutes. A quick sprint from the East coast to Colorado only took 5 more minutes. Using the Kimmunicator, Kim tracked Ron to Tara's apartment.

Upon reaching the place, Kim didn't even stop for the door, instead running right through it, blowing the door off of it's hinges and shattering the door and door frame into a million pieces.

Ron and Tara were too busy fornicating to notice.

Wade, who had been enjoying the lesson in human reproductive habits, was suddenly badly traumatized and scarred for life as Kim whipped out her laser lipstick and proceeded to slice Ron and Tara into hundreds of hormone-addled bits and chunks.

Whether or not Ron and Tara noticed is a question that will forever remain unanswered.

After the slicing and dicing was done, Kim disposed of the remains by flushing them down the toilet.

Unfortunately for her, Wade had managed to alert Global Justice and 10 armed agents stormed the apartment, hitting Kim with knockout gas and stun-guns at the same time while she was busily flushing Tara down the toilet.

* * *

_The aftermath..._

Kim was found guilty of Ron and Tara's murder, as well as several counts of property damage, and was sentenced to life in prison. Since no ordinary prison could ever hold her, she was incarcerated in Global Justice's special underground prison, designed to hold the worst of the worst. And anyone Betty Director didn't like.

Unfortunately for Kim, her cell was directly across the cell-block hall from Will Du's. Du was currently serving three consecutive sentences for embezzling from GJ, gross negligence in the field, and for stealing Dr. Director's peanut-butter and jalapeno bagels from the refrigerator in the Global Justice employee lounge.

As Du went on and on about how the 'amateur' had finally gotten what she deserved, Kim was lost in thought.

'_If I had my laser lipstick, I would so...'_

* * *

_Meanwhile, in Middleton..._

"I can't believe our little Kimmie would go and murder her best friend and one of her former cheerleading buddies like that." said Kim's mother in a disapproving manner. "Maybe I shouldn't have kept putting her on speakerphone." she said guiltily.

"Don't blame yourself, honey. I'm sure circus-folk are responsible for all of this, somehow." replied James Possible from behind his newspaper.

THE END!!

* * *

(no, not really the end!)

Yeah, this isn't a real chapter (and if you didn't figure that out by now, you're thick as a brick.)

I realize I haven't updated this thing in ages, and I'm sorry about that. Several of you PM'd me asking when I'd pick this up again, and I said I didn't really know.

The truth is that I've been a bit uncertain of my future for a while now. I was having miserable luck job-hunting and I wasn't sure that the subject that I have my degree in is what I wanted to do with my life. I decided to not spend much time writing or doing other leisure activities until I figured out what I was going to do.

But, now I've found gainful employment and will be returning to school in January. Now that the most uncertain parts of my future are taken care of, I can pay some attention to this. This chapter was just an amsuing (for me) way to tell everyone that yes, the story will be underway again, very very soon, and that I'm sorry about letting this go for so long.

Imagine my surprise when I logged into FFNet and checked my stats to see that I had 70 reviews and something like 60 favs and alerts... I guess a few people are actually reading this thing, eh? Well, it'll get rolling again soon, and I'm not going to write anything else until this one is done, whenever that may be.

Thank you for reading!


	8. The Real Chapter Seven

Will the real chapter 7 please stand up?!

Here it is!

On a side note, I'm kind of in a bad mood as I'm writing this, but hopefully that won't come through into what I write. I'm sure it won't help the quality of my writing either, but oh well... The job that I was promised and given and filled out all the paperwork for and wasted quite a bit of time and gas on between trips there to take care of various pre-hire formalities was kicked out from under me at the last second by a hiring freeze. Talk about a way to piss me off...fusking cawkmonglers...

I'll probably do chapter 8 fairly soon. I need a temporary distraction and in the interests of saving money I've decided to write on this instead of doing what I usually do when I'm aggravated, which usually involves buying car parts online so I'll have something to work on, then ordering expensive carryout pizza, buying a case or two of Miller High Life, and watching old IMSA GTP race footage and cheesy 80s action movies and drinking until I pass out...

...anyway, enjoy chapter 7.

I don't mention anything I own. Except for the pair of jeans and the t-shirt I'm wearing right now.

* * *

Kim sighed. She wasn't looking forward to this. She'd had a long day, and now it was midnight. She needed sleep, but not before she called Ron on the Kimmunicator.

She'd come to her decision on the subject of how she was going to spend her holiday break, and she didn't think Ron was going to like it.

Kim had decided that she was going to stay in the UK this year. Not only were extra credits always worthwhile at a university like Cambridge, but Kim was still desperately trying to get herself situated and comfortable in her new country. Even after nearly a semester of school here, she still felt like a peg that didn't quite fit in any of the holes. But, that aspect improved every day.

On top of all that, Kim really did want to do her best at school, hoping to ensure a secure future for herself, and Ron, wherever they ended up.

_'Ron and I have our whole lives ahead of us. He'll have to understand why I'm working so hard now...it's so we'll have a stable future ahead of us.'_ sometimes Kim wasn't completely sure about Ron's future...sometimes the guy just didn't seem to have any aim at all, and when she heard he wanted to run his own restaurant, she was doubly worried.

_'Ron's never really had a head for numbers or organization.' _Kim had thought. Kim knew better than anyone else that Ron had more potential than anyone gave him credit for, but she was still worried that Ron's ventures might fail, though she would never ever tell him that.

But, she did know that she had to have Ron in her future. She just hoped that Ron would understand her reasons for staying in the UK. She was sure he'd see things her way, once she told him why she was doing this.

Kim yawned and looked at the clock. It was just past midnight. In another half hour or so, it would be time to call Ron. Since it was early evening back in Middleton.

_'I might as well do a bit of studying.'_ thought Kim as she grabbed her notebooks and texts, and set a timer to ding in half an hour, since she had developed a tendency to lose herself in her studies.

* * *

Ron hunched over his small desk in his attic loft, poring over books related to his business management classes. Rufus was nearby, curled up next to an empty nacho tray.

Though he was trying, Ron found himself distracted. His conversation with Tara after the birthday party had been playing through his head a lot lately, mostly because he hadn't yet found the inner fortitude to tell Kim that he didn't want her to stay in the UK over Christmas, but he wanted to spend it with her.

_'Heh, I remember when all I used to do on Friday nights was play Zombie Mayhem and hang out with KP.' _thought Ron somewhat wistfully about his high school days.

After Kim had broken up with Mankey, Friday had become 'Ron Night'. A tradition that would not be broken until Kim had left for school. Ron had only broken Ron Night once, and Kim's rather poor reaction to him spending time with Felix instead of her had convinced Ron never to break it again.

Ron looked at the clock. It was ten past five.

_'Kim'll be calling me soon.'_ thought Ron as he took a glance to his left. His Ronnunicator sat at the ready, like it aways did.

Ron sighed, remembering a snippet of the conversation he'd had with Tara at the Lowerton Bueno Nacho earlier that day.

* * *

"_What do you mean you haven't told her yet?" asked an incredulous Tara as she ate her taco salad. _

"_I know, I know." said Ron. "I've just been nervous about it. I'm scared of how she'll react."_

"_Well, waiting this long to tell her isn't going to help, Ron! You told me about this problem way back in October, and now it's only a couple of weeks from Thanksgiving. Just how long did you plan to wait?" she asked._

"_Ummm..." _

"_Ron, regardless of how she reacts to what you have to say, she isn't going to be happy that you've waited this long to tell her. Who knows what she's been planning over there." _

"_I get it!" said Ron, as he took a savage bite of his Quadruple-Beef Chimirito._

"_She used to tear our heads off if we asked for time off the cheer squad on short notice, especially if we'd known well in advance that we'd need the time off." Tara pointed out._

"_Well, I'm sure it'll go just fine." said Ron in a very final manner. _

_Tara knew better than to continue the conversation. "So, how are classes going?" she asked._

_Ron looked up and smiled, happy to talk about something else. "Badical! Next week we're going to..."_

_Tara smiled as Ron began talking about what he was learning at LTC. She always found his enthusiasm infectious._

* * *

Ron sighed again. "I _REALLY_ hope this goes well." he muttered to nobody in particular.

_Beep-beep-BEEE-beep!_

Ron steeled himself. _'Here we go...'_

Ron grabbed the hand-held communication device and answered it. "Hiya KP!"

"Hi Ron!" replied a tired-looking but obviously happy KP.

"So, how goes it at one of the world's top universities?" asked Ron.

"Spankin'! I love learning here!" enthused Kim. "Though my international law professor is a real jerk."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, it's like he thinks he knows everything about everything..." groused Kim.

"You'd think he was a professor or something." joked Ron.

"Exactly! It's like...HEY!"

Ron just laughed.

"Very funny, Ron." said Kim, trying and failing to hide her own amusement. "So, how about you? How is LTC treating you?" asked Kim.

"Badical! By the time I leave there, I might actually be able to run a restaurant somewhere besides into the ground!" joked Ron. Kim laughed.

Silence reigned supreme for a minute. '_Since when do KP and I have trouble talking to each other?'_ wondered Ron. Kim seemed to be similarly uncomfortable for a minute.

"So..." she said.

"Heh...yeah." was Ron's reply.

Kim decided it was time to deal with the issue she hadn't been looking forward to.

"Ron, I've...um...I've come to a decision about what I'm doing for the holiday break."

Ron inhaled sharply.

"I'm going to stay here for the break." Kim said quietly, hoping Ron's reaction wouldn't be too severe.

Unfortunately...

"WHAT?! Kim! You've been gone since last summer! You even left early!" Ron shrieked.

"Calm down, Ron!"

"No! Kim, what's the deal? Do you just not want to see me or your family anymore?" Ron was picking up steam.

"Ron, STOP!" yelled Kim. "I'm doing this because I still don't feel quite like I fit in around here, and because I want to finish school as soon as possible!"

"What? How is 2 credits going to help you finish that much sooner? If you're going for a doctorate it's not like you aren't going to spend 8 years at school anyway." Ron pointed out.

"It's not like I'm going to do this every year!"

"Which you'll say until the next 2-credit opportunity comes along!" snapped Ron

"Ron, that is so unfair! Why are you getting so worked up about this?"

"Because I care about you! I miss you bad and I want to see you again! What's so hard to figure out about that?!" screamed Ron, effectively silencing the conversation.

"I'm...I'm sorry Ron. I didn't think you'd get so upset over this."

"No, you thought I'd just roll over and just agree with whatever you want, like always." muttered Ron.

Kim felt like she'd just been kicked in the gut by Shego. "Ron! That isn't true! And besides, if you felt this strongly about it, you should have said something sooner!"

"I know, and I'm sorry. Tara said that I needed to say something earlier too." admitted Ron.

"Tara? What does Tara have to do with any of this?" for some reason, the name 'Tara' mentioned in proximity to Ron was making Kim bristle lately.

"I went to her sibs' birthdays and I told her about how I was worried about this." said Ron, matter-of-factly. Kim was not placated.

"And just why have you been spending so much time with her, anyway?" demanded Kim. She knew that Ron said Tara was just his friend, but she was getting tired of hearing the blonde's name whenever Ron talked about what he was doing around Middleton and Lowerton.

"Tara is my FRIEND, Kim. I need to have FRIENDS around here since my BEST FRIEND is thousands of miles away and refuses to come home and see me or her family for any of her breaks from school." Ron practically growled.

"But..." Kim was cut off by Ron.

"And, if there WAS something for you to worry about, I wouldn't be so UPSET that you AREN'T COMING HOME for the holidays!" finished Ron.

Kim suddenly felt very foolish.

"I'm sorry, Kim. That was kind of mean."

"It's okay, Ron. Like I said before, it's not that I don't want to see you. I just want to get myself settled in here. I still feel a bit off."

"If you're that uncomfortable, you could just come back here and go to school." offered Ron.

"Ron!"

"Well, if you don't feel right about where you are, why are you staying?!" things were starting to get heated again.

"It's not that I don't like it here, I just need more time to settle in!" repeated Kim.

"Just don't let your natural Kimminess and having to be the best at everything and your pride cloud your thoughts about what you're doing, Kim. Need I remind you about the coaching thing? Or the week we had to deal with the Bebe robots for a second time? Or any of the other times you've ignored better judgment, Miss I Can Do Anything?"

Ron regretted saying that as soon as the words left his mouth.

Kim exploded. "You know what, Ron? I don't even think you want to see me that badly. I think just because I put forth the effort and got into a real school and you ended up at Lowerton that you don't want to see me in a place like this! You ignored what everybody was telling you about your future and now you absolutely hate the fact that you've gone from being Potential Boy to Potential Loser and you're taking it out on ME!"

As soon as Kim finished, she gasped and put her hands over her mouth. _'Oh my god...what did I just say?'_ Even she felt that she was out of line.

Now, it was Ron's turn to blow up.

"Oh whatever, Kim! I think we both know how totally wrong-sick what you just said is! But I do have a different question for you. What happened to _'I want this, Ron. I want you. We're going to be apart for a long time. I want to share this before we're separated. I want us to give each other something to think about while we're at school. I want you to know how much you mean to me. I love you, Ron._', Kim? I didn't realize that 'a long time' was going to be an entire year, Kim! That's ridiculous!"

"Ron, you're making this so the drama! I said it was going to be a long time!"

"If you wanted to show me how much you mean to me, you could come and see me after being abroad for, what, nearly 7 months!? Or did you think I'd happily be fine with whatever you chose for our relationship as soon as you shoved the condom into my hand and pushed me down onto the couch?" said Ron petulantly, not caring that he was starting to sound ridiculous.

Kim bristled and clenched her fists, about to scream at Ron, but instead just relaxed and sighed. "You know what, Ron? It's late here and I'm tired. Maybe I should just go before one of us says something we really regret, on the off chance that we haven't already."

"Yeah. This is a good place to say good night. Good night." was all Ron said.

Kim waited. Ron said nothing else.

"Well, bye." said Kim as she clicked her Kimmunicator off.

Ron just sat there for a moment. '_She didn't even say 'I love you.'_

As Kim flopped down onto the bed in her apartment, with tears streaming down her face, she had one last thought before falling into a fitful sleep.

_'He didn't even say 'I love you.'_

* * *

In the couple of weeks that followed the argument, leading to Thanksgiving, to say there was very little communication between Kim and Ron was being polite about it. There was no conversation between the couple. They were both too angry and too hurt to call the other. And, on top of that, the argument had touched some long-buried sore points for both teens.

They were both questioning the very nature of their relationship to this point, and it was disconcerting. Of course, both teens had their own methods of coping.

Kim was living up to her reputation as being driven and focused. She was taking on all of the extra work she could until the break came. Anything to take her mind off of what had transpired between her and Ron. She was working herself to the point of exhaustion, and her instructors and friends were starting to notice. Everyone wondered why Kim was pushing herself so hard, but not even Kim was fully aware of the real reason.

She felt that she had completely lost control of the sitch between herself and her BFBF. And losing control of sitches was not something Kim Possible was used to.

However, if she couldn't control that aspect of her life, she certainly had control over other aspects, namely school. And Kim was ruling the school aspect of her life with an iron fist and a relentless drive forward. It was her way of coping.

Of course, she still thought about what Ron had said.

_'No, you thought I'd just roll over and just agree with whatever you want, like always? What did he mean by that?'_ thought Kim late one night as she pored over her books. _'I wasn't that controlling and self-centered, was I?'_ Kim knew she had gotten to be a lot better about that, of late. But, she couldn't deny that for a good portion of their friendship, she hadn't always taken Ron as seriously as she could've. Maybe he was still a bit sensitive about that? Maybe what she was doing now was reminding him of their earlier years? Kim wasn't sure, and it was driving her nuts.

She was also having trouble with what Ron had said about her natural Kimminess. Was she really, _really_ enjoying herself here at Cambridge? Was it her pride and constant desire to have and be the best keeping her here, and not the education itself? Now that Ron had planted the seeds of doubt, she was constantly second-guessing herself.

"ARRGH!" growled Kim as she threw down her pen, tired of thinking about both Ron and international law. It was late.

_'Why did I get so angry when he said that about me?' _Was Kim's last thought as she shucked her clothes and climbed into bed.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Middleton, Ron was dealing with his problems in the usual Ron Factor kind of way. Doing what he had to do at school and at Smarty Mart, and filling the rest of his time in with Hana, Rufus, videogames, Bueno Nacho, and Tara.

Especially Tara, it seemed. Not that the curvy blonde had any complaints about it, but she was curious about why she had gotten so much Ron time lately. So, when Ron and Tara found themselves leaving LTC and making their way towards the Lowerton Bueno Nacho on the Friday prior to the week Thanksgiving would be falling upon, Tara decided it was time to ask Ron what was happening in his life.

_'He has definitely been acting differently lately.'_ Tara thought to herself as she and Ron walked towards Ron's car. _'And he doesn't really talk about Kim much either. If he wasn't acting so weird, I'd think him not talking about Kim would be a good thing, but this isn't good at all.'_ Tara was lost in thought about Ron to the point that she didn't quite notice where she was.

"Tara? Tara? AHEM! Tara?" Ron was about to poke Tara on the shoulder when she came around.

"Huh? What?" she asked.

"Are you going to get in, or not?" asked Ron with his lopsided grin. Ron was standing there, holding his car's door open like a gentleman, just like he always did.

"Oh! Right!" Tara looked sheepish as she climbed into the passenger seat and smiled as Ron as he gently shut the door behind her.

As Ron climbed into the driver's seat, he took at a glance over at Tara, looking her up and down. Tara seemed far more dressed up than usual, and she was definitely getting into the fall mood. Her snug, dark orange blouse, long rust-colored skirt, and stylish brown boots saw to that. She never looked bad, but it seemed she had really dressed up today, and Ron decided to ask why.

But, before he could, Tara caught him looking.

"What?"

"I was just wondering why you're so dressed up today, that's all." replied Ron.

Tara looked down at herself. "I don't know. It's definitely the season for fall colors. I just felt like wearing it." Tara may not have been a slave to Queen Bonnie in her high school days, but she was still as fashion-forward as anyone on the old Middleton Cheer Squad had been.

"Fair enough." Ron, for his part, was wearing a simple variation on his usual 'khakis and jersey' theme. Only this time the pants were black and the jersey was green.

As they drove off, Tara remembered what she had meant to ask Ron in the first place. "Um, Ron?"

"Yeah, Tara?"

"What's been going on with you lately?"

"Huh?"

Tara took a breath. "You've been acting differently. Distant, like something is bothering you. And spending a lot more time with me. Not that I mind at all, but still...I know when one of my friends isn't himself."

Ron knew he'd been caught. "Well, it's about Kim, I guess."

Tara nodded. It figured, for sure.

Ron exhaled and looked over at Tara. Since starting college, she'd become one of the best friends he'd ever had. Only Kim and Rufus were closer to him than Tara. Ron made a decision right there. He could trust Tara, and venting would feel really, really good.

Tara noticed him looking at her and gave him a little smile.

"I tell you what, once we get to Bueno Nacho and have our food, I'll tell you everything that's been bothering me lately. How's that?" asked Ron.

"Works for me." said Tara as she nodded.

The rest of the trip to Bueno Nacho was conducted in a comfortable silence. Upon reaching the Tex-Mex fast-food eatery, the two blondes filed in and Tara made her way to what had become _their _booth of the Lowerton Bueno Nacho, allowing Ron to pick up the tab for the food for a change.

As Ron carried the tray back to his and Tara's table, and set her food in front of her, Tara smiled at him, and then spoke.

"Talk."

Ron swallowed the (smaller than usual, thanks to Tara's getting after him about his eating habits) bite of Naco he was chewing on, and sighed. "All, right."

Ron proceeded to tell Tara about everything that had happened since the twins' birthday, about his waiting to tell Kim how he felt, about the argument, about how Kim and himself had lost their tempers, and how he had felt since the argument.

He also mentioned that he and Kim hadn't spoken to each other since the incident.

"Well, I was right about her not taking kindly to your not telling her sooner." mused Tara. "Though, I didn't expect her to take it _that_ badly."

Ron just grumbled.

"I'm sorry, Ron." said an embarrassed Tara.

"No, you were right. I just wish I had told her sooner. Or not told her at all." said a rather dejected-looking Ron, as he returned to his Naco.

"Now wait a second Ron, you can't just blame yourself here." ordered Tara. "I'm not going to say that one of you is more to blame than the other, but you've both made iffy decisions."

"Yeah, yeah." breathed Ron, as he went to work on his second Naco.

"I realize I sound like some second-rate marriage counselor here." started Tara, earning a chuckle from Ron. "But, even with an ocean between you two, you guys have got to work on your communication. It always seemed like you two had no trouble with that before, and I'm sure you didn't have any trouble with it on your missions, or else you'd be dead. What's different now?" asked Tara.

"I don't know. Maybe that's it. Before, we were pretty much on the same life path, weren't we?" he said, looking at Tara.

"I don't get it."

"I mean, we were both doing the same things, pretty much. High school students with extracurrics, we'd hang out together a lot, spend time with our families, and go on missions." said Ron thoughtfully before continuing. "Even with the weirdness that we dealt with freak-fighting, we pretty much did the same things, and always together."

"And now?"

"And now, I'm here at Lowerton, going to a small tech college, hanging out with someone I knew in high school, no offense" said Ron with a small grin. Tara only chuckled. "and going to said small tech college and my hopes and aspirations consist solely of owning my own restaurant, settling down to have a family, and a quiet retirement."

"But, Kim is..."

"Right. Kim is at one of the oldest and best universities in the world, studying to become who knows what, but probably someone important, and rubbing shoulders with the future leaders and pioneers of the world. I'd say our lives have taken a pretty big diversion from each other." finished Ron.

Tara just nodded.

"She's right though. I probably do resent the fact that she's done so well for herself, and that I've ended up like this thanks to my own lack of ambition." started Ron. "She always told me I had potential, and that I should try harder. She'd even try to help me. And I didn't do anything but lay around, work at Smarty Mart, eat nachos, and play videogames."

"The distance can't help." said Tara, trying to keep Ron talking. It was obvious that he had venting to do. A lot of it.

"I know! I mean, I saw this coming as soon as she told me where she was going to school. I know her better than anyone, maybe even her parents. I knew she'd go for Cambridge as soon as she was accepted...only the best after all!" Ron was working up a good head of steam. "She probably didn't give more than 2 seconds thought to anything else once she knew she could go to school _there!"_ finished Ron.

Tara chuckled slightly.

"What?" asked Ron.

"You. I never would've imagined you acting this serious and adult when we were in high school, talking about adult relationship problems." said Tara with a smile. "You sound like a real, live grownup!"

As Tara smiled at him, Ron felt a shift in his mood. He'd been venting, blowing off steam about what had happened with himself and Kim, and Tara had skillfully maneuvered the conversation to allow it. And now, with a little humor, a small laugh and a smile, she'd almost completely disarmed him.

Ron hadn't felt this good, since some time before the argument, he had to admit. He found himself studying Tara a bit as she ate. She didn't notice immediately.

_'It really is nice to spend time with a girl who doesn't cause such emotional highs and lows.' _Ron idly thought to himself as he chewed.

_'And someone who seems to want the same things from life that I do.' _continued Ron's thoughts. Ron knew that he and Tara were quite different when it came to the details of life, Ron would Never Be Normal after all, but as far as the really big stuff went, he knew she wanted the same basic things he did. A decent job, a good family life, and a quiet future. It was a sharp contrast from talking to Kim, who could go on and on about what she wanted to wrangle out of her future, given the opportunity. Talking about life with someone like Tara was far less challenging.

_'You know, her eyes are really blue.'_ Ron's train of thought switched tracks. _'Not even Mrs. Dr. P's eyes come close. They're really pretty.'_

Tara finally noticed that Ron had been watching her. "Is there something on my face?"

"Oh, no! Sorry." Ron ducked his head a bit and sheepishly went back to eating.

"I do have another question about you and Kim, Ron." said Tara as she finished her chimirito.

"What's that?" asked Ron before taking an epic drag on his king-sized Slurpster.

"Why haven't you tried to contact Kim since then? It's been like two weeks. And why hasn't she tried to get ahold of you?"

Ron sat there for a moment.

"I've tried, you know. Every time I pick up the Kimmunicator to call her, I start thinking about what we said. I get angry or depressed. I can't stop thinking about how we both challenged our ideas of what our relationship was and now I feel like I can't talk to her."

"Okay, Ron...you're really starting to surprise me with how well you've analyzed what's going on between you two." said Tara.

"Well, I was reading Dr. Bill's website, and..."

"Anyway!" Tara cut Ron off. "I really think you two need to start talking again."

"Yeah." said Ron,

"That didn't sound very convincing, Ron." said Tara. "It sorta lacked conviction. Read my lips...YOU. NEED. TO. TALK. TO. KIM!"

"I think when we've both cooled off enough, talking again won't be a problem." said Ron, again lacking any real conviction.

"But two weeks...I know it's none of my business, but is there something you're not telling me?" asked Tara earnestly.

Ron thought for a minute. _'Am I supposed to say that not only am I scared of calling Kim, but for the rare times when I'm not thinking about what happened between me and her, these past 2 weeks haven't been so bad, thanks a little bit to Rufus and Hana, but mostly because of you? I can't say that!'_

Tara had her own line of thought going. _'What is his deal? He should be calling Kim up every day! What's stopping him from doing it? He sounds like he doesn't even want to.'_ mused Tara before speaking. "You're my friend and I want to see you happy. And Kim makes you happy, Ron." she said. _'Or, she did, anyway.'_

Ron paused. This was the second time Tara had told him that she just wanted him to be happy, and it was...nice. But, she wasn't Kim.

"Thanks Tara. You're absolutely right. When I've thought about what I'm going to say to her, and how I'm going to apologize, I'm going to call her." said Ron with absolute certainty.

"That's good!" beamed Tara. "You and Kim not being together is like a Naco without nacho cheese sauce." winked Tara. Ron just laughed.

The mood suitably lightened, Tara had one more question for Ron. "Do you think you'll call Kim tonight?" she asked.

Ron thought about it for a second. "No, probably not. I still have no idea what to say to her. I'll keep the Kimmunicator on me in case she calls, though."

Tara nodded. "Well, then how would you like to come over for dinner tonight and watch a couple of movies at my apartment? I've got actual furniture now!" they both laughed. "And, I was going to make sausage and peppers tonight on the new Gorge Storeman grill my dad gave me. It probably won't be as good as anything you'd make, but I've been trying to get better at cooking."

Ron smiled. "That sounds great, Tara. And I'll help with the food!"

Tara beamed. "All right! Let's go!" she said, grabbing Ron and dragging him out of his seat. "It's good to see the old Ron again, by the way." she added. Ron just chuckled.

As they drove out of the parking lot, Ron asked Tara what movies she wanted to watch.

"Have you ever seen _The Pest?"_ she asked.

"Can't say that I have."

"Then you've _got_ to see it!" gushed Tara. "It's so unspeakably horrible that it's actually totally amazing..."

* * *

When Kim wasn't studying, there was one other thing that could temporarily take her mind off of the Ron sitch.

Shopping.

As far as Kim Possible was concerned, civilization didn't begin until there was a Club Banana store nearby. And, it just so happened that one of the world's largest Club Banana stores was a 50 mile train ride away, in London.

Kim knew what she had to do.

And, as she was perusing through the sweaters, she was shocked when she heard a familiar man's voice.

"Sheila! I found that green sweater you...ooof!"

Kim was even more surprised to turn around and have the source of the voice run into her. "Ow!"

As the two dusted themselves off and looked at each other, they gasped.

"Dr. Drak-!"

"KIM POSS-!"

Neither was able to finish their sentences as each one clamped a hand over the other's mouth, obviously trying to avoid drawing unwanted attention from anyone else in the store.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Kim. "And what the heck did you do to your face? You look like one of the store mannequins!"

Dr. Drakken didn't look quite the same as he normally did. His scar wasn't visible, for one thing, thanks to the thick caking of makeup on his face, which also had the effect of giving him a normal flesh tone, instead of his usual blue. He had also cut off his ponytail, shortened the spikes on top of his head, and instead of his usual blue lab coat, he was dressed in a blue shirt and black pants. If it weren't for his beady eyes, giant teeth, huge chin, and bizarre unibrow, he would've almost looked normal.

"If you must know, cheerleader, I am SHOPPING!" growled Drakken as he waggled the clothing he was carrying in Kim's face. "And don't call me Drakken in public! It's Drew!" he hissed.

"Since when do you shop? Normally you just take." said Kim as she crossed her arms.

Before Drakken could respond, a familiar female voice was heard.

"Drew! Where are you? I found this great shirt that..." Shego trailed off as she saw Dr. Drakken standing there with their former foe.

"SHEG-!" Kim was again cut off by Dr. Drakken.

"Sorry!" said Kim as Drakken removed his hand.

"Hi, Kimmie. I'd appreciate it if you could just call me Sheila, okay?" asked Shego before she continued. "Been a while hasn't it, Princess?" said Shego.

"Sheila? Gah...you look worse than Drakk...Drew! Who slathered that stuff all over your faces?!"

Instead of the pale shade of makeup Dr. D was wearing, Shego's hue was a bit darker. She'd also cut her hair to a more manageable shoulder-length and was wearing a simple green sweater and black slacks. If not for the black lipstick and piercing green eyes, Kim might not have recognized her.

"Look Kimmie, we're trying to avoid attention, and blue and green skin is not the best way to do that." said Shego. "You've probably noticed that we've been quiet since the...y'know...Hench thing."

Kim and Drakken both winced at the mention of the 'Hench thing'. It brought bad memories to the surface.

* * *

It seemed that Jack Hench had decided that he was tired of simply selling henchmen, various weapons and products to supervillains, Jack Hench had decided that he wanted to try some supervillainy himself. Of course, since he sat on the majority of the world's superweapons, could create his own army of supersoldiers, and had possession of some of the world's greatest laboratories, courtesy of his company, he didn't have to go far to get his plan underway.

However, since Jack Hench was a businessman, instead of a megalomaniac mad scientist, he had taken his time. He slowly moved his pawns all around the world. He'd taken the time to create new weapons and machines that would make the world's armies tremble. He'd even taken the time to create a communications network that rivaled anything any of the civilian telecommunications companies had designed. After capture, he'd simply referred to his actions as a "hostile takeover on a larger scale."

By comparison to Hench's plot, Drakken's Diablo attack had looked like mere child's play.

When Hench made his move, the world hadn't been close to ready. The world would've fallen to Hench if not for the actions of Team Possible II, Global Justice, and almost every other major supervillain who could fight Hench in some way. It seemed that none of them were willing to live under a Hench regime.

Joss Possible and Wade Load, backed by GJ and a small army of DNAmy's mutant soldiers had stormed and taken Hench's compound and Hench himself. Dr. Drakken and Shego had discovered the communications system Hench was using and had figured out a way to disable it. Professor Dementor's Eurasian communications network and Gemini's WEE network had been instrumental in co-ordinating the counter-offensive. Motor Ed had worked tirelessly to determine the mechanical weak spots of Hench's war machines, and found ways to exploit them. The Seniors had donated billions to the refugee aid efforts. Monkeyfist and his army of Monkey Ninjas had been instrumental in the Asian defense. Duff Killigan had led the European war efforts.

Kim and Ron had aided Drakken and Shego in North America during the attacks. With Joss and Wade going directly after Hench, they had been able to stay back and, along with Shego, had provided the muscle and footwork necessary to carry out Drakken's plans to disable Hench's communications systems.

In the end, Hench had been defeated, and thanks to the quick work of Joss and Wade in capturing Hench himself, the destruction hadn't been as massive and widespread as feared. Hench had overlooked his personal security in planning his attack.

The Hench incident turned out to be the last big mission Kim and Ron worked on before their 'retirement' to go to college. It also had the affect of propelling Joss Possible and Wade Load, aka Team Possible II to the forefront of the media attention. There was a new duo of teen heroes in town, and they had learned from the best.

After the attack, most of the big time villains had laid low. They'd been given a pass by the world's governments, but were informed that if they resumed their activities, retribution would be swift and punishment would be severe. Most were content to stay quiet, and the new baddies that surfaced, such as Dr. Claw, and RepairMan-man-man-man (he always added his own echo for some reason), were simply no match for Joss and Wade.

* * *

"Yeah, you have been quiet." said Kim. "What gives?"

"We just decided it was time to retire." said Sheila with a smirk. "We both liquidated our assets, sold off all of the properties except for the 'lair' in this country, which is really nothing but an old farm near Huddersfield and moved in. We're only down here today for a shopping day trip."

"Wait...you two still live together?" asked Kim. "But that would mean..."

Sheila simply smirked, and wrapped an arm around Drew's waist. "Funny thing that, Kimmie."

"Okay, just wrongsick." said Kim, trying not to look ill.

"Speaking of, where is your buffoonish sidekick?" asked Drew as he glanced around the store.

Both were slightly taken aback by the ugly look Kim's face took at the mention of Ron. "He's in Middleton, where he always is." she snapped. "I came here for school."

"Trouble in Paradise?" asked Sheila.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Sensing an opportunity for some girl-talk, Sheila turned to Drew. "Drew, could you just pay for this stuff and put it in the car? You can go to the electrical supply warehouse by yourself and I'll meet you at the Indian restaurant down the street around seven, mmkay?" she asked.

"Okay, but why?" asked Drew.

"I want to catch up with Kimmie here." was Shego's reply.

"Alright! I'll see you tonight!" said Drew, clearly excited by the prospect of leaving this silly clothes store and going to an electrical parts supply house by himself.

Kim, fully aware of Drew/Drakken's past, didn't like the idea of him going to such a place. "Wait! What does he need to go there for? What's he planning to do?"

Sheila sighed. "Well, if you must know, Doc Brown over there wants to turn this old refrigerator we have into some sort of time machine that only transmits non-living organic matter or something." said Shego in a tired manner as she jerked a thumb towards Dr. D.

"Why?" Kim raised an eyebrow.

"If my plot succeeds, I'll be able to send meats, fruits, vegetables, and dairy into the future, to any day I want! Just think! I can send an orange three weeks ahead and it'll show up in my fridge as fresh as the day I bought it! No more rotten meat or spoiled milk! No more moldy apples or mushy tomatoes! I can buy in bulk and not have to worry about storage space! I'll save a bundle. IT WILL BE BRILLIANT!" crowed Drew as he reverted to his old 'villainy' voice and threw his hands in the air.

"DREW! You're making a scene!" hissed Sheila.

"Oh, sorry." Drew looked sheepish, before bidding farewell and turning to leave.

Kim smirked and looked at Sheila. "So, you can take the mad scientist out of the lab..."

"Yeah, yeah." said Sheila with a dismissive flick of her hand. "Now come on, pay for that stuff so we can go to the cafe down the street."

"Why?"

"I want to know all about your boyfriend troubles, Princess."

* * *

As Kim and Sheila seated themselves in the small coffee house and placed their orders, Kim was the first to speak.

"You and Drakken are really retired?" asked Kim with a hint of disbelief.

"What's so hard to figure out about that?" asked Sheila. "He still tinkers around in his 'lab' all day, I still lay around trying to get a tan. The only difference is that we don't have nosy cheerleaders destroying our house every other week."

"And you've stopped trying to take over the world..." added Kim.

"Yeah, that too." admitted Sheila.

"I still can't believe...you and..._him. _Are you two married?" asked Kim.

"Not yet, Princess. But, within a year. Don't worry, you'll get an invitation." smirked Sheila. "But, we aren't here to talk about me and Drew. We came here to talk about you and Mr. Pants Problem."

Kim sighed. "Why are you so interested?"

"Take it from a lady who's been there, Kimmie. I saw that look on your face when we mentioned Stoppable. Something's gone bad between you two."

Kim looked at Sheila for a moment, and then proceeded to spill her guts. She told Shego about the fight, about what Ron had said, and about how she felt in the days since the fight.

Sheila looked thoughtful for a moment, and then laughed.

"And just what is so funny?" asked an obviously tweaked Kim.

"I'm sorry Kimmie. Yeah, I'm just having a little trouble believing that you and the Buffoon are having such bad communication problems. Are you sure you're the same two people who could coordinate themselves almost perfectly when taking down one of the Doc's whacked plots?"

Kim had no answer.

"And, why haven't you called him to apologize, or at least to try to smooth things out between you two? I mean, you must miss him, right?"

"Worse then I did when he went to a summer camp one year." admitted Kim.

"Then why haven't you called him?"

"I'm afraid."

"Of what?!"

"What he might say. What he might do. What if he decides he doesn't want to see me anymore, or if he's found another woman or..." Kim was cut off by Sheila.

"UGH! Princess! Fights are a normal part of a relationship! Dr. D and I do it all the time. Heck, we did it before we starting _doing it_ if you catch my drift." added Sheila, waggling her eyebrows.

Kim fought back her lunch.

"But, my point is this was just one fight. A big fight, sure, but still...you and him should be able to work through this. Once you decide what to say to him, you're going to call him and sort this out, no buts." said Sheila.

"But..."

"No 'buts', Kimmie!"

Kim was silent.

Sheila leaned back and thought for a moment. "Hey, do you guys still keep in touch with your nerdlinger computer guy?"

Kim looked up. "Yeah, though he's pretty busy now. He's half of Team Possible II, after all."

"Wasn't he the one who got you guys rides all over the world?"

"Yeah. A lot of people owed us favors. Wade was just able to keep track of them and set up the rides."

Sheila looked thoughtful. "And how many people still owe you favors?"

"Hundreds. It would probably take years to use them all..." Kim suddenly stopped, a look of realization on her face.

"Looks like you've figured it out, Princess. Maybe you don't have to go to the Buffoon for your break. Maybe the Buffoon can come to you."

Kim looked like she'd been slapped around a bit with a large trout. "Gah! I am such the idiot! I'm sure Ron would go for that!" she slapped her forehead.

"Yeah, I always was the smarter one between the two of us." said Sheila as she leaned back and examined her perfectly manicured nails. Kim shot her a dirty look. "So, call your Buffoon up, run the idea by him, and when he gets here, you can jump him!"

"Shego!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Right."

Sheila finished her coffee and biscotti. "Well, Kimmie. It's been fun, but the Doc and I have a dinner date tonight, so if you'll excuse me, I'll just be going now." She stood up to leave.

"Sheila, wait!" she turned around to look at Kim. "Thanks. Thanks a lot. And, I can't believe I'm saying this, but congratulations to you and Drakken."

Sheila just smiled. "Thanks, Princess. And good luck getting your Buffoon back."

With that, Sheila smoothly left the cafe and disappeared down the street.

* * *

And thus concludes the longest chapter I've written for this story. Though, definitely not the best. Oh well. I can't do angry/angsty dialogue to save my life. One thing I do like about this chapter is Tara trying so hard to get Ron to communicate with Kim. She's a sweet girl, isn't she? And Drakken's time-machine-refrigerator is something I constantly wish I had.

I'm not sure if Kim and Ron would talk to each other like this...or act like this but meh. I don't think Kim would've done any of the things she did in the first chapter of this story either, and yet...here we are, several chapters in...

And yes, the 'Hench thing' is my idea of a major 'final boss battle' for Kim and Ron. It's the equivalent of the Graduation episodes in my KPverse, I guess. I thought the Lorwardians were okay, but kind of meh. I've also always thought that Jack Hench, with all of his HenchCo. resources and his calm, calculating, detail-oriented business mind, could probably be a bigger threat to the world than all of the other KP villains put together if he wanted to be.

If it's not obvious, it should be by now. I love Drakken/Shego. I couldn't resist a chance to stick them together. And, they decided to semi-retire in the UK, I guess.

Chapter 8 should arrive soon. It's going to be shorter, less serious, and generally Ron-centric.

As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review. And a big thanks to everyone who's favorited, alerted, and reviewed my story!


	9. Thanksgivings and Reconnections

Hey, it's chapter 8! Or 9, if you're going to be a jerk about FFNet's chapter labeling.

This chapter shall be a lot shorter and duller than the last one. I have declared it so.

I probably don't own a single thing I mention in this story.

* * *

Ron stretched, yawned, and scratched himself as he woke up.

"Ahhhh..."

Ron then farted loudly enough to jolt Rufus awake.

"Heh...sorry little buddy."

"Hnnk! Gassy! Pee-yew!" was the somewhat indignant naked mole rat's reply.

"Yeah yeah." chuckled Ron as he got up and gathered some clothes to put on after showering. "Better not eat too much this morning, Rufus. It's Thanksgiving!"

Rufus immediately perked up. "YAY! TURKEY!" The little pink rodent immediately jumped down to the floor and ran to the kitchen. Ron could already smell his mother's delicious cooking wafting up from the kitchen.

Ron smiled as he grabbed a pair of socks and wandered down the hall to the bathroom. It was going to be a busy Thanksgiving. First, his family was going to have Thanksgiving by themselves this year, as most other Stoppables would be visiting their in-laws or were simply too far away to come to Middleton.

Normally Ron was all about the extended fam coming over for a holiday, but no family meant no evil cousin Shawn and his freaky iguana, and no unpleasant, sleazy Reuben with his equally unpleasant bride.

Ron was like, totally down with that.

Then, it was off to the Possible's for even more foodage, as was the tradition. Ron was expected to show up at the Possibles to visit and help them keep the leftovers to a minimum. Usually Ron would end up at the Possibles, eat even more, and then end up passed out on their couch with Kim.

The only change over the years had been that in the years before the junior prom they usually ended up dozing at opposite ends of the couch. Last year they'd passed out practically laying on top of each other. Mrs. Possible had taken several pictures. Mr. Possible had tried to grumble about black holes, but there was no keeping the smile off of his face.

This year, however, Kim wouldn't be there, which made Ron frown a bit. He wondered what Kim was going to do for the American holiday, all the way across the ocean in the UK. He'd ask her parents later.

Another tradition was being broken this year as well. Tara had invited Ron over to the Strong home that evening for a visit and grazing on leftovers. Ron's bottomless pit of a stomach hadn't diminished with age.

Though, to be fair, it had to be said that Tara's younger siblings and her father had insisted that Ron come over as well. They all loved having the goofy blonde around. Ron agreed to go, of course. Ron was all about the turkey day.

Ron had jokingly asked Tara if she was inviting him over so she wouldn't have to face her crazy extended family alone again. She had laughed, cuffed him on the arm, and informed him that only her grandmother was coming for the holiday. Everyone else was going to their in-laws. Ron was okay with this. He wasn't sure if he'd survive another Aunt Minnie hug. And Frank Strong unnervingly reminded Ron of Steve Barkin.

Ron smiled as he jumped into the shower. Even without Kim, this would probably be an okay holiday. And he had every intention of calling her tomorrow on the Kimmunicator and taking the first steps towards rebuilding their relationship.

As he set the water temperature and climbed into the shower, Ron couldn't help but dance a little and quietly sing the lyrics to the O'Boyz' latest 'comeback' single, _Never Gonna Feel You Up._

"_Never gonna feel you up!_

_Never gonna touch you down!_

_Never gonna grope around_

_and upskirt you!"_

Yep, the O'boyz were lyrical geniuses, though Ron couldn't shake the lingering feeling that he'd heard this song before.

Ron eventually stopped singing and scrubbing and got out of the shower to dry himself. He couldn't loaf around all morning, after all. He knew his mother expected him to help her prepare the usual Stoppable family Thanksgiving feast. Having two great cooks in the house certainly made the meal preparations easier.

Ron chuckled as he thought about another benefit to not having the extended family over this year. He wouldn't have to put up with his family commenting about how much Ron was like his mother. His facial features, his hair, his cooking abilities, his rather lanky frame, his usually gentle nature...all seemed to have been inherited straight from Mrs. Stoppable. Ron knew they were right, but they didn't have to rub it in!

After putting his socks on and throwing his black and white shirt over his head, Ron took a second to muss up his hair the way he liked, and strolled out of the bathroom to go downstairs. He was sure he'd be keeping Rufus out of the food as much as he'd be cooking.

"Ronnie! Could you come down here and get your pet out of the stuffing?" yelled Ron's mother from the kitchen.

Yep. He'd be doing a lot of that today. As Ron went down the stairs, he couldn't help but hum a few more O'boyz lines.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Strong residence, Tara and her father were also in the kitchen, preparing for the meal. Karl preferred to cook his turkey on the charcoal kettle, so the oven and the rest of the kitchen were free to prepare other dishes. While Tara and her dad prepared the meal, Katie and Robbie were dusting, vacuuming, and generally tidying up the house.

"When is grandma getting here, Dad?" asked Tara as she worked on the potatoes.

"Probably in a couple of hours." Karl Strong paused for a moment before smiling goofily and asking "When is Ronald going to come?"

Tara immediately perked up at the mention of Ron. "Probably later this evening. He's going to have Thanksgiving with his family, and then stop by the Possibles' house, and...why are you smiling like that?"

"I saw the way you smiled when I mentioned him. Are you sure there's nothing between the two of you?"

"YES! I'm quite sure that we're just good friends, dad." Now Tara was annoyed.

"Why is that again?"

"Hmm...it might have something to do with Ron already having a girlfriend. A girlfriend who is also my friend, who I respect very much, and who knows 16 kinds of kung-fu and could probably kill me ten times before I hit the ground if she wanted to. You know, _that_ reason why?"

"Ah, right. That reason. That's a shame." said Karl as he stroked his beard. "You and him go well together."

"Aren't fathers usually supposed to keep boys _away_ from their little girls, instead of encouraging them?" smirked Tara as she put the bowl of mashed potatoes aside and hunted in the fridge for something. Tara never had much trouble discussing personal matters with her father. She knew that he was there for her.

"What can I say? I like Ronald. Besides, a good father just wants his little girl to be happy, and I can see that he makes you happy." Karl pointed out. Tara had no response. "Besides, I like him better than any of those cavemen your old cheer squad friends set you up with. Or that smirky 'artist'...John Monkey, was it? Just what was that guy's deal anyway?"

"It was Josh Mankey, and he wasn't that bad, if you didn't mind dating a block of wood that happened to enjoy painting. If Kim and Ron ever hit total flameout, you can be sure that I'll be the first in line. But I'm not going to try and break them up." said Tara pointedly. "I'm not that kind of girl."

"I know. Still, even the twins think he's great. I'm sure they wouldn't mind having him around either." winked Karl.

"Dad! That's enough! Besides, when's the last time you checked the turkey?"

Karl got the hint. "Right, right. Checking it now." he chuckled as he left the room. Tara just sighed and spoke quietly to herself.

"I'm not that kind of girl."

* * *

"Those pies look lovely, Ronnie." Ron was pulling two pumpkin pies out of the stove in the Stoppable kitchen, and they certainly looked and smelled fantastic.

"Thanks, mom." said Ron as he gracefully set a pie on a cooling rack with one hand and intercepted Rufus with the other.

"Grrr." was all Rufus had to say, as he was thwarted for the fifth time that morning.

"So, when are you planning for us to eat?" asked Ron.

"Around noon, if everything goes to plan." replied Mrs. Stoppable.

"Sounds good, though I still think we should be having Nacos with Thanksgiving dinner." joked Ron. "Because I'm totally thankful for Bueno Nacho."

"Ronnie, you've been saying that since the place opened."

"I'm just sayin'!"

"Ugh. This son of mine.... I wish Kimmie was here. She'd set you straight." joked Mrs. Stoppable.

"Yeah, I wish Kim was here too."

* * *

Many hours ahead, at her apartment in Cambridge Kim sighed as she tucked into the turkey sandwich, diet Coke, and slice of pumpkin pie she'd bought from a local shop. It wasn't much of a Thanksgiving meal, but it would have to do.

Kim took a bit and sighed again. _'I wish I was at home with Ron and my family.'_ Kim wanted nothing better than to sit down at the Possible table and watch Ron as he gorged himself on turkey and stuffing while he ignored the vegetables.

But, she had lots of work to complete, thanks to the looming holiday break. And, she didn't want to start abusing favors for personal reasons, especially since she planned to ask Ron to come to her over the break.

That was another thing...

_'Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm going to call Ron, apologize, and ask him to come here over the break.'_ thought Kim. Her conviction was unbreakable at this point. She simply couldn't go much longer without hearing his voice. She still wasn't quite sure what she was going to say to him, but she knew she'd figure it out.

Kim's parents had already called her today, to wish her a happy Thanksgiving and tell her that they couldn't wait to see her next month. Kim had been quite happy to hear from her parents, but Ron hadn't called. She knew he was probably busy, but it wouldn't have hurt him to call.

Though, she had to admit, she couldn't find the bravery to call him either. But, soon.

Kim decided she'd had much better pumpkin pies in her lifetime, mostly the ones Ron and Mrs. Stoppable would make every year.

_'I'd better get this research project done.'_ Kim sighed as she went back to her work.

_'Happy Thanksgiving to me, I guess.'

* * *

_

"Grandma Carol!" Tara ran up and hugged the elderly woman. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Oh, it's great to see you too, dear." smiled the short lady as she hugged her granddaughter back.

"Grandma!" Tara's younger siblings ran up to give their grandmother a hug. She was equally delighted to see them.

"Hi mom." Tara's dad smiled as he walked up and gave his mom a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She greeted him and then handed him a bag.

"These are for dinner. My homemade dinner rolls."

"I'll get them ready." said Mr. Strong as he took the bag and headed to the kitchen.

"Come on Grandma, sit down." said Tara as she led the way to the living room and motioned to the couch. "Dad's still got to carve up the turkey before we can eat." Katie joined them while Robbie went to help his dad with the turkey.

The different generations of Strong ladies sat and chatted for a while, telling each other what had been happening in their lives to that point, before Tara's grandma changed the subject.

"Is Ronald going to come here today?"

"Yes, but not until later this evening. He and I will probably just munch on some leftovers for supper."

"Oh, I'll probably miss him then. That's a shame. It's so good that you've found yourself a nice young man, Tara. I liked seeing the two of you together at the twins' birthday." said Grandma Carol as innocently as she could.

"Grandma!" Tara blushed a bit. "We're just friends! He has a girlfriend!"

"Oh was that it?" asked Tara's grandma, feigning old-lady forgetfulness but being betrayed by her small smile.

Katie, who had been silent for a moment, chose to speak up. "Not that Tara would mind being Ron's girlfriend!" she smirked. "She luuuuuuuuuuuuurves him!"

"Katherine!" Now Tara was angry, and embarrassed. She didn't appreciate being outed like this.

"And she totally wants his bod, too! Last time he was here, the poor guy's belt buckle broke and his pants fell down! Tara blushed so hard she looked like a blonde tomato! She couldn't stop staring! I thought she was going to have a heart attac..." she was cut off by a throw pillow nearly decapitating her.

By this point, even Grandma Carol was struggling not to laugh too loud, and Katie was just howling. Tara just sat there and fumed for a bit, before she had to stifle a few giggles of her own.

"In my defense, he _does_ have a really cute butt."

"Mom! Tara! Katie! Food's on!" Mr. Strong called from the kitchen. It was about noon.

As they were walking towards the dining room, Grandma Carol had one more thing to say to her oldest granddaughter.

"You know, when I met your grandfather, I thought he had a cute fanny too..."

"Grandma!"

* * *

"Dear, we're ready!"

Gene Stoppable finished sharpening his carving knife and went to join his wife and son in the Stoppable family dining room.

"Wow, everything looks great, you two!" Gene surveyed the spread before him, before settling his attention on the somewhat small, but otherwise delicious-looking turkey.

Gene set his knife and prongs down, and sat. After some quick prayers, Gene stood back up and set about carving up the bird. "I suppose without family coming over, we didn't need a very big bird, eh?"

"Mmm. Mom, this turkey is badical!" exclaimed Ron as he took a bite. There was no question where Ron got his cooking skills from.

"Hnk! Good turk-y!" agreed Rufus as he gobbled from his own plate. On special occasions, the gluttonous naked mole rat was allowed to eat at the table.

After everyone had dished up, and were chatting and eating, Ron's dad turned to Ron.

"How are things with the ladies in your life?"

"Ladies?" Ron was confused.

"Your girlfriend, and your blonde friend." Gene clarified.

"Well...okay I guess. Kim and I have kinda hit a rough patch, I haven't spoken to her in about a week." said Ron, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh dear. What happened?" asked Mrs. Stoppable.

"Uh, we had kind of a serious argument. It was definitely the drama." Ron sighed. "I'm calling her tomorrow. I've gone long enough without hearing her voice."

Ron's parents exchanged a look. Ron fighting with Kim like this while Tara had her sights on him wasn't a good thing. His parents weren't quite as oblivious as he was. They knew how she felt about their son.

"Why didn't you tell us you were having problems with Kim, Ronnie?" asked Mrs. Stoppable.

"I guess I just didn't want to talk about it. It doesn't matter now, anyway. I'm just going to call her tomorrow and apologize and try to smooth things over. I'm sure she'll listen to me." said Ron.

"What was the fight about, son?" asked Mr. Stoppable.

"Well, it started out with holiday break plans...but then it spilled over to other things and went downhill pretty fast from there. Total flameout." Ron's head hung low and he started eating again.

"And, how's Tara?" asked Mr. Stoppable, not noticing the glance from his wife. He just wanted to steer the conversation away from Kim.

"She's fine. We hang out at Bueno Nacho, study sometimes, watch DVD's sometimes. Usual friend stuff." answered Ron. "She won't play Zombie Mayhem though."

"Is she doing anything for Thanksgiving?"

"I guess they're having it at her house. Her grandma is the only one coming though. Oh, and me."

"You?" Now Mrs. Stoppable's interest was piqued.

"Uh, heh. Yeah. Tara invited me, and then her dad and sibs insisted that I come. They wouldn't take no for an answer."

Ron's parents exchanged another glance. _Tara's family is inviting Ron to family events now?_

"When do you plan to go over there?" asked Ron's mom.

"After I leave the Drs. P. It'll be supper time by then and we'll probably just eat leftover foodage." answered Ron. "Tara tells me that leftover turkey sandwiches on her grandma's homemade dinner rolls are amazing."

"Ah."

The subject soon changed and the hours passed and before long, it was time for Ron to bid goodbye to his parents and make the short trip to the Possible home. Ron made to grab Rufus and bring him along to visit the Possibles, but the little naked mole rat was sleeping like a log.

Seems the tryptophan in the turkey was too much for the naked mole rat.

* * *

"So Tara, how is school going?" asked Grandma Carol as the Strong family enjoyed their Thanksgiving meal.

"Great! You need to learn a lot about the human body to become a nurse though! Sometimes I feel like I'll never learn it all."

"Don't worry, dear. Just keep working hard and you'll be fine." Tara's grandmother patted her hand as she said it.

"Thanks, Grandma."

Tara's brother piped up from across the table. "Once you've learned everything, you can play 'Doctor' with Ron." both twins laughed at this.

Tara looked like she wanted to throw her utensils at her siblings. "Ron is just my friend! Don't talk like that at the dinner table!"

"Calm down, everyone." said Tara's grandmother.

"Listen to your grandmother." said Tara, giving her sibs a look.

Grandma Carol then turned to the twins. "Save the teasing for after we eat." she said with a wink.

"Hey!"

* * *

"Ronald! Happy Thanksgiving! Come in!" Mrs. Possible seized Ron in a bear-hug and dragged him into the Possible residence.

"Same to you, Mrs. Dr. P." smiled Ron.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Ronald!" greeted Mr. Dr. P as Ron walked in. "I hope you're hungry! Anne made some of her famous brain-shaped sweet potato molds for today!"

"I took it easy when I ate with my parents, Mr. Dr. P. Only two platefuls!" both men laughed.

"Hey Ron..."

"...long time..."

"...no see!" finished Jim and Tim at the same time.

Ron gave both teens affectionate noogies.

"Hey Tweebs! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!"

"So, how's the car..."

"...since we..."

"...put it back together?"

"The old Buick is totally badical thanks to you tech geniuses! It runs great and the stereo totally kicks!" enthused Ron. Really, having the Tweebs around as his personal mechanics was fantastic.

"Hoo-sha!"

Ron idly wondered if the Tweebs would ever get tired of using their self-made catchphrases. _'They'll have to find girls who don't mind it.' _

Mrs. Dr. P set the last dish down on the dining room table. "Boys! Come and eat!"

After everyone was seated and served, the conversation meandered to the usual topics. When the subject of Kim came up, the Possible family was surprised about Ron and Kim's current problems. They hadn't heard anything. Though, they were relieved when Ron said he was going to talk to Kim tomorrow.

They were even more surprised to hear that Ron would be leaving later that evening to go to Tara's father's house for a Thanksgiving visit as well.

They'd had to ask who Tara was. Ron mentioned that she was an old cheerleading buddy of Kim's and his, and that she was the best friend he had who currently lived in the Tri-City area. Ron mentioned that the two of them got along pretty well and he joked that if she was a mechanical engineering genius and a fan of Zombie Mayhem, she'd be a lot like his old pal Felix.

Mrs. Possible vaguely remembered a bubbly, friendly, if somewhat ditzy blonde coming to their house to watch a boy-band concert. She was the blonde with the sky-blue eyes, a rather impressive bust, and no freckles on her face, like the other one had.

The Drs. P had exchanged glances. They weren't sure if they liked the idea of another girl getting so close to Ron if his relationship with their daughter was a bit rocky.

Ron also mentioned that Tara had spent the last week trying to get Ron to re-establish contact with Kim.

The Drs. P were mollified. This Tara couldn't be _too_ bad, then.

A few hours later, it was time for Ron to leave the Possible residence. He bid them all farewell, bid them a happy Thanksgiving nap, and jumped into his car to make the trip across town to the Strong residence. It was now getting to be later in the evening, well past dark.

* * *

Ron pulled up to the yellow bungalow and rang the bell. Tara answered.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Ron!" she said as she gave him a quick hug and beckoned him in.

Ron smiled wide. "Same to you, Tara."

As he walked in, he found Tara's siblings lounging in front of the television, clearly caught in post-feast malaise. But, as soon as they saw him, they jumped up to greet him.

"Hi Ron!"

"Hi Ron!"

"Hey, Terrible Two!" Ron had come up with a new nickname.

"What brings you here so late?"

"A Thanksgiving visit."

"Aw, why didn't you come sooner then? Our grandma was hoping to see you too."

"Well, I had Thanksgiving dinner at home, and then I went to visit the Possibles for some more foodage. And to see them."

"Your girlfriend's family?"

"Right."

"Why wasn't she there?"

"Because she's in England."

"Oh, right. That's a shame."

"Yeah."

"Maybe it's a good thing you missed Grandma Carol. We wouldn't want you to lose your pants in front of her." both twins snickered.

"Hey, it doesn't happen that often!" said Ron indignantly, before adding under his breath "Nowadays."

"Where's Rufus?"

"Sleeping off the turkey."

"Wanna play some Zombie Mayhem?"

"Maybe later. I can beat you any time of the day!"

"You wish!"

At that point, Tara had gotten tired of her younger siblings monopolizing her friend, and decided to jump in. "Are you hungry, Ron? We've got lots of leftovers." Tara hoped he was hungry. She'd purposely eaten light earlier in the day, so she could have a late meal with Ron.

Ron shot her his goofy, lopsided grin. "Do you even have to ask?"

Tara laughed. "Right. To the kitchen, then."

"So, where's your dad?" asked Ron as they made their way towards the kitchen.

"He gave grandma a ride home. She doesn't like driving after dark much anymore. He should be back any minute." replied Tara as she dug Tupperware out of the fridge.

A few moments later, the two blondes were sitting at the kitchen table, chatting amiably while munching on turkey sandwiches, a few side dishes, and pumpkin pie.

"Mmmmf! Thish bread ish totarry fradical!" enthused Ron around a large bite of turkey and homemade roll. He swallowed. "You can totally tell it's homemade!"

Tara smiled. She'd managed to polish Ron's barbaric eating habits a bit over the months, but he still needed some lessons in etiquette. "I'll tell grandma that you liked it."

Karl Strong chose that moment to enter the home. He'd seen Ron's car out front and was happy that Ron had finally made it.

Ron waved cheerfully from the table when he saw Mr. Strong. He knew the man meant well, but his cheerfully crushing handshakes were more than Ron could handle. He hoped he could just get away with a wave tonight.

He was in luck. Mr Strong waved back. "Hello, Ronald! Good to see you again. I see Tara's got you fed already. Everything good?"

"Yeah, this spread is just bon-diggety, Mr. Strong! And these rolls Tara's grandma made are just badical!" Ron was cheerfully munching away.

"She'll be glad to hear that you liked them. And didn't I ask you to call me Karl?" asked Ron's dad with a mock glare.

"Right, right. Sorry Mr S- I mean, Karl." Mr. Strong simply laughed and said he was going to go out to the garage to work on something, leaving the two teens alone. A short while later, they were done eating and Tara asked Ron if he'd like to watch a movie in the other room.

"Sure! Just let me call the fam and tell them that I won't be in 'till late and that they need to put Rufus to bed."

While Ron did that, Tara went and fished a DVD out of the cabinet. As Ron came in, she was already popping the disc into the changer. She tossed the case to Ron.

"_My Fellow Americans_?"

"Yeah, one of Dan Aykroyd's late-career stink-fests. I secretly love it though, even if they play the Macarena like fifty times through the whole film." Ron laughed. "Garner and Lemmon are really funny in it, though."

"Sounds good to me."

The two blondes took up positions on the couch and began watching the movie.

When Karl Strong came in a bit later, he found his daughter and her friend passed out on the couch while a silly DVD played on the tv screen.

It appeared that the two had finally succumbed to the effects of a day of feasting.

But, they were dozing at completely opposite ends of the couch, with plenty of distance between them. Nothing worth raising eyebrows over. Mr. Strong just laughed and placed a blanket over each of them, before deciding to turn in himself.

Early the next morning, Ron and Tara woke up at the same time and both were thoroughly embarrassed. But, there wasn't _too_ much reason for it to be too awkward, so they got over it fairly quickly. Ron bade farewell to Tara and headed for home.

Mrs. Stoppable wasn't very happy that her son hadn't come home on Thanksgiving night, even if he had called. Ron explained himself and managed to avoid catching too much flak from her.

Rufus was even more indignant.

* * *

_Early afternoon._

Ron was doing some studying at his desk, and biding his time before he was going to call Kim. He planned to call her on the Kimmunicator around two pm. It would be around nine pm where she was. He was nervously anticipating the conversation, and wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he knew he had to make the call.

But, Kim saved him the trouble.

_Beep beep BEE-beep!_

Ron practically knocked over furniture as he ran to grab the device. "KP!"

"_Hey, Ron."_

"How are you?"

"_I'm doing good, mostly."_

"Did you do anything for Thanksgiving?"

"_I ate a turkey sandwich and some crummy pumpkin pie in my apartment."_

An awkward silence fell on them for a moment, before both spoke at once.

"_I'm sorry!"_

"I'm sorry."

"_Jinx! You owe me a soda and a night of passion!"_

"Aww, I never get the....wait...what?!"

They both laughed.

The awkwardness alleviated momentarily, the two began making their apologies for things said and feelings hurt. As the conversation continued, bridges were rebuilt and simple happiness at hearing each other's voices again carried the tone. Agreements to communicate more and not keep emotions bottled up were made.

Once that was out of the way, Kim told Ron about her plans for the holiday break, and how he was a part of them. Ron had to hand it to Kim, it was a good plan. And so simple he kicked himself for not thinking of it.

"So, how'd you come up with that plan?"

"_Well, I had some help..."_ Kim proceeded to tell Ron everything that had happened during her trip to the London branch of Club Banana.

"Drakken and Shego?! Together?! You're kidding! And they live on a farm and wear makeup to hide their identities?" Ron and Kim couldn't stop laughing. "I didn't see that one coming!"

They continued talking and making plans well into the evening. By that time, it had gone completely past late and it was now daybreak in the UK and Kim needed to go to sleep. Ron decided to turn in as well, because he had to work the next day. But, before they left, they each had something to say to each other.

"_I love you, Ron."_

"Love you too, KP."

And with that, both teens climbed into their beds and enjoyed the best night of sleep either had experienced in more than a week.

* * *

So, there's another chapter in the books. I've gone back to boring slice-of-life action, I guess. Oh well.

I guess we know which horse Tara's family is rooting for.

You don't get any points if you know what song the O'boyz' latest hit is based on. If you don't know, I could probably give you a link that would explain it, but that would be too obvious a joke.

I realize I copped out by not writing the whole dialog between Kim and Ron at the end, but...meh. I didn't feel like it. Lazy writer syndrome.

I also realize that turkey doesn't contain much more triptothan than any other meat, and that it probably isn't the _real_ reason people pass out after Thanksgiving dinner, but...why not? We used to think it was.

Ron and Tara continue their habit of watching movies nobody else would want to watch.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated, even if it's just to tell me my writing sucks and my hygiene is questionable!


	10. Blond Noel

Well, first off I should probably apologize about letting this story sit for so long, especially when I had chapters 9 and 10 outlined already. Oh well. Real life (sucks, btw) and all that. Here is chapter 9! And chapter 10 will follow relatively quickly, as an apology to my several(?) loyal readers.

I don't own anything mentioned in this story. NOT EVEN MYSELF. Even though I don't mention myself in this story.

I guess I should mention right here that every little break in this chapter involves a different day of the holiday vacation.

* * *

Ron hummed to himself as he packed his suitcase. The young man was in a seriously good mood at the moment. Classes were done, the holiday break was here, and he was going to be spending two weeks with his girlfriend!

_'This is badical! I can't wait to see KP again!'_ thought Ron as he packed extra underwear and socks. Years of missions had taught him to always pack extra underwear and socks.

Wade had set Ron up with a ride on an experimental unmanned hoverjet. Only, for this flight it wasn't going to be unmanned. Since this was it's first trans-Atlantic flight, an experienced pilot and one of it's engineers were going to be on the aircraft as well. Which suited Ron fine, he didn't think being alone over the Atlantic was a great idea or anything. All he had to do tomorrow was drive his car to the facility and board the plane. It certainly sounded a lot easier than dealing with a big international airport.

As Ron finished packing up his things (as well as Rufus') he wheeled his suitcase to the door and realized there was only one thing left to do.

Ron picked up the phone to call one of his best friends and remind them that tomorrow he was going to be leaving for the UK, and to wish them a good holiday break.

Ron dialed the now-familiar number.

After a moment he heard Tara's voice on the other end.

"_Hello, Ron!"_ Nearly 2 decades of caller ID had taken the mystery out of phone calls.

"Hi, Tara. Just calling to let you know that I'm heading out of the country tomorrow, and won't be back for two weeks." replied Ron.

"_Oh? Looking forward to seeing Kim, I'll bet!"_ Tara sounded playful.

"You know it! You got anything planned for the break?"

"_Well, Bonnie and some of the other cheerleading girls are going to be in town again. I'll have to catch up with them. I'll tell them the Mad Dog says hi."_

Ron laughed. "Sounds good, Tara."

"_I'll try to be in touch while you're gone. Maybe I'll send you an email or something."_

"Badical! I'll try to remember to bring something back for you."

"_Cool! Well, have a safe trip, Ron."_

"Thanks! And you make sure you have a good holiday break, Tara. There will still be almost 2 weeks of it left when I get back, so we'll have to do something when I come back." said Ron earnestly.

"_That sounds great, Ron. I've got a few new cheesy movies for us to watch. Well, goodbye."_ Tara sounded a little less cheery this time.

"Bye, Tara. Have a good break." repeated Ron before he hung up the phone.

On the other end of the line, a platinum blonde huffed a bit. _'It would be a better vacation if you were going to be around, Ron.'_ she thought as she closed her cell phone.

* * *

It was about 8:30AM when Ron pulled up to the gate. The surly-looking guard with a clipboard sauntered up to the car.

"Name, please."

"Ron Stoppable."

The guard perused his clipboard. "Ah, you'll be flying on Mr. Load's newest prototype." said a now much friendlier guard. "That young man has done a lot of consulting work for this company...probably the only reason we're still in business. Please take the road to the right, and pull your car up to hangar 8. It'll be stored in there while you're gone." he said as he pointed the way.

"Thanks!" said Ron. Rufus continued to snooze on the backseat, totally unnoticed by the guard. Ron did as he was instructed and parked the car.

Two hours later, the black jet was in the air. According to the pilot, this was the first supersonic hoverjet that could sustain such speeds long enough to make one full lap around the Earth at the equator, thanks to highly advanced new engines and fuels that Wade had developed. Ron found it odd that the man was willing to divulge such information, but it was a civilian operation after all.

Unfortunately for Ron, while the pilot who wouldn't be doing any piloting, bar an emergency, was a generally quiet and sort of friendly, the engineer, an attractive thirty-something woman called Dr. Green proved to be very friendly. And talkative. And she had a voice like Fran Drescher.

"So, what brings you on our little trip, Ronnie? E-hehehee!" she asked as the jet crossed the line between the mainland and the Atlantic Ocean.

_'Agh. She sounds like The Nanny!'_ groused Ron to himself as he tried to think of a way to get out of talking to this person. Ron suspected the pilot was very thankful for Ron's presence. "I'm going to England to see my BFGF." replied Ron as politely as he could.

"Bee Eff Gee Eff?"

"Best-friend girlfriend."

"Aww! How cute! E-hehehehe!" Dr. Green had a habit of punctuating sentences with her annoying, nasally laugh. "How long have you been together?"

"As a couple? About 2 years. But, we've known each other since we were four or so."

"Aww, young love! That reminds me of when I met my Darryl. I just knew we were made for each other! Though, now that we're married he seems to drink a lot...in the mornings...and he spends a lot of time in the garage for some reason...E-hehehehe!" Dr. Green's laugh seemed even more awkward after that. But, she remained silent for the time being.

Ron just sat and blinked for a moment, before cracking open a magazine. '_I can't imagine why he'd drink in the morning...'_ thought Ron before dozing off in his seat.

The next thing Ron knew, he was landing at a discreet, fog-shrouded airstrip. As he stuck Rufus in his pocket and exited the plane with his suitcase, he saw his BFGF standing near a car that was most likely also courtesy of Wade. She was wearing a black skirt with a green top that matched her eyes, and she looked stunning.

"Ron!"

"KP!" Ron dropped his suitcase as the two ran towards each other and engaged in a rather searing kiss, completely oblivious to Dr. Green's 'oohs' and 'awws'.

"I missed you." said both as they separated.

"Jinx! You owe me a soda! And a whole lot of Ronshine." said Kim with a sultry smile on her face.

"Well, I guess I'll have to start repaying my debts now." said a smiling Ron as he leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

An extremely bored Tara Strong huffed and flopped backwards onto the bed in her tiny apartment.

"Arrrgh! Lowerton is so BORING!" she groused aloud as she lay there. That wasn't entirely true, there were things to do in Lowerton. There just weren't any things she wanted to do without Ron's company.

_'At least Bonnie will be coming back in a couple of days.'_ thought Tara. Most of the old cheer squad would be back as well. Maybe they could have a girl's night out or something.

_'Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way.'_ thought Tara as she continued to lay there. '_I've been spending a ton of time with Ron, which I'm sure Kim would appreciate if she knew about it...maybe I should cut back on that a bit.'_

_'But he's so funny and so sweet and his smile just melts me and...and...I'm thinking these thoughts about a guy who is totally, completely spoken for! Ugh. Get it together, Strong. You're not a homewrecker!'_ Tara decided she'd had enough of just laying around and doing nothing but think about Ron.

She hopped up off of her bed and put on her shoes. _'I might as well get some grocery shopping done while I've got the free time. Let's see, I need milk, lunchmeat, oranges, shredded wheat...'_ Tara picked up the newest Smarty Mart sale ad that she'd received in the mail _'...oooh, and they're having a sale on Pop-Pop Porter's double-chunk chocolate cookies! Badical!'_ Tara was quite good about watching what she ate and staying active, but Pop-Pop's chocolate cookies were one of her biggest weaknesses.

_'Guess I'll be doing extra sit-ups this week.'_ thought Tara as she grabbed her coat, locked her apartment up, and began walking towards the bus stop to wait for the bus that would take her to the discount utopia that is Smarty Mart.

_'You know, I could really go for some of Ron's lasagna.'

* * *

_

Jim Possible grumbled to himself a little bit as he wandered around the mall by himself. He wasn't alone by choice, but because it seemed that all of his friends, and even his own brother, either had goings on, or a girlfriend to spend their holiday break with.

The 14-year-old high school sophomore didn't have a ton of friends to begin with. Being a middle-school aged kid at a high school tended to do that to one's social life. Combine that with an obsessive love of tinkering and explosions and an equally eccentric twin brother to hang out with and one could see why Jim's friend list was kind of small, despite his fame around Middleton High as one half of the Middleton Pep Puppies.

But now, things were changing.

Tim had a girlfriend.

A lovely, petite Hispanic girl named Rosa Flores, who attended Middleton Middle. Jim idly remembered Tim mentioning that she had an older sister who had graduated with Kim and Ron, but that wasn't ringing a bell.

All Jim knew was that her younger sister could reduce the normally rambunctious and outspoken Tim into a shy, stumbling idiot with nothing but a smile and a flick of the hair. Not that he had anything against his brother's girlfriend, as she seemed really nice.

It was just that Jim felt left out wherever he went. And the few friends he did have doing the same thing didn't help. Even Jim knew he was just a bit jealous of the others.

As he was beginning his third lap of the mall, with his hands in his pockets and his head down, he rounded a corner near the Orange Lazarus stand and found his progress stopped short by an obstacle that knocked him backwards and put him on his rear.

"Ouch!" the obstacle also had a distinctly female voice.

"Hicka-bicka-ow." muttered Jim as he sat up and rubbed his head, only to notice that he'd plowed straight into a girl about his age.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Jim as he jumped to his feet and offered a hand to help the girl up. As she looked up to take it, Jim was struck dumb.

He found himself staring at a brunette who could only be described as a beauty, with a slightly round face, long wavy hair, and light brown eyes that seemed to reflect the light in ways that shouldn't have been possible.

Or, at least, that's how Jim saw her.

He managed to get over his speechlessness long enough to choke out an 'are you alright?' to the girl as he helped her up.

"I'm okay." she said, blushing slightly as she returned Jim's gaze. "I'm sorry about running into you."

"Oh, no! It was my fault! I wasn't looking where I was going and I came around the corner...and...uh...yeah...I'm sorry." Jim was rambling a bit.

There was a moment of awkward silence before the girl spoke again.

"Um...do you go to Middleton Middle School? I don't think I've seen you there?"

"Er, no. I go to Middleton High. My name is Jim, by the way."

"You're a high schooler?"

"I'm only 14. I skipped a few grades."

"Ah, cool! Oh, and my name is Katie. Katie Strong."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Katie. I guess it would've been better to shake your hand or something, but I suppose head-butting you works just as well." said Jim with a goofy grin reminiscent of his father's.

Katie just giggled. "Hey, what was that thing you said?"

"What thing?" Jim looked confused.

"The 'hicka-bicka' thing." replied Katie.

Jim suddenly felt a bit embarrassed by the Tweeb-speak he'd been using for so many years. "Oh, that...heh-heh...well, that's just some thing my twin brother and I do sometimes and...uh...well, it's just a dumb thing I do!"

"Oh, I have a twin brother too! Yeah, twins always come up with goofy stuff, huh?" chuckled Katie.

"Yeah." Jim smiled as he agreed.

Another awkward silence followed. Jim shuffled his feet kind of awkwardly, while Katie nervously grabbed her left elbow with her right hand.

"Um, well...I guess I should be going." said Jim as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Sorry again about knocking you down."

Katie looked a bit disappointed. "Alright. It was nice to meet you, Jim."

And the two teenagers parted ways.

_'Huh. She was really nice. Especially after I clunked her head like that. And she was my age too...I should've asked...'_

"Agh! Hicka-bicka-_STUPID_!" Jim slapped his forehead and turned around, only to find Katie long gone.

Jim sighed and turned around to leave the building. He didn't like his chances of finding Katie again in Middleton's sprawling mall.

_'Maybe I'll see her again.'_ thought Jim dejectedly as he left through the main entrance.

* * *

Bonnie Rockwaller frowned a bit as she drove her white convertible (top up) into Lowerton, towards Tara's apartment. It wasn't that she was unhappy to see Tara, as Tara was one of her best friends, but she always enjoyed visiting Tara's family home as well. She wouldn't have admitted it to anyone ever, but Tara's smiling dad, friendly (if annoying) siblings, and small but warm home were the complete opposite to both the large, cold Rockwaller house and her equally chilly Rockwaller siblings. It made visits there something to look forward to, even if Bonnie didn't act like it.

And, since Tara wasn't a rival like Kim, she could actually enjoy those surroundings, unlike whenever she went to Kim's house.

_'Oh well, I suppose we all have to move away from home sometime. I know I certainly looked forward to it...'_ thought Bonnie with a smirk as she continued driving. Bonnie had no intention of spending any time more than was necessary in her own home over the holiday break.

That was part of the reason Bonnie had elected to go to school as far away as Wisconsin. It certainly helped that UW also had a great pre-med program. Of course, Bonnie had also managed to turn a fair portion of the school's male population into her personal toys within a semester, she was the Queen B after all.

Bonnie was nonplussed as she pulled up to the building she'd been given directions to. It certainly was modest, a well-worn block of apartments near an industrial park. At least the area looked clean and safe. Bonnie lifted her nose and sniffed a bit as she got out of her car, walked towards the building, and rang the buzzer for Tara's apartment.

_Buzz!_

"_Hello?"_

"Hi Tara, it's Bonnie."

"_Bonnie! Come on up!" _Tara sounded especially cheerful as she buzzed the door open for Bonnie.

A moment later, Tara was ushering Bonnie into her tiny apartment.

"Bonnie! It's so great to see you again!" chirped Tara as she gave her old cheer buddy a big hug. Bonnie returned it.

"It's nice to see you too."

"So, how was Wisconsin? Any cute guys there?" asked Tara as they both sat down on Tara's sofa.

"Eh, Madison is okay. It's like this little bubble of sanity surrounded by...just...complete shit." Tara gasped a little at Bonnie's description before starting to giggle.

"Yeah, I was surprised that you went to Wisconsin. But, you do like it there?"

"Oh yeah. The pre-med department is full of hotties... AND _foreign hotties!_" cackled Bonnie. "So, how about you? Enjoying Lowerton?" Bonnie couldn't keep the slight distaste at 'Lowerton' from her voice, but Tara had long since learned to ignore such things from Bonnie.

"Lowerton is badical! The new campus is great, and most of my instructors are really cool and I really like the nursing program and Ron is there which is really great and we go to Bueno Nacho every Friday and he came at Thanksgiving and..."

Bonnie, who's eyebrow had gone up at 'badical', had to interrupt Tara's excited gushing at the mention of 'Ron'.

"Ron? Rieger?"

"No, Stoppable. He goes to LTC too. He's so much fun, the other day we went to a Lowerton Lemurs game and he lost his pants in the stands and..."

"You mean, you hang out with Stoppable?" Bonnie was a bit surprised, and had to know more.

"Of course. He's my friend, we do all kinds of stuff together."

"Well, it sounds to me like you seem to really enjoy his company, and you've been talking non-stop about him for the past couple of minutes." Bonnie arched an eyebrow.

"Oh...well...uhm...heh-heh..." Tara floundered under Bonnie's gaze, like she always had.

"You like Stoppable, don't you? Just like you did in high school!"

"But...but..!" Bonnie amped 'the look' up a little. "Yeah, I do. He's really something special..." Tara's head drooped a bit at being outed by someone who had never liked Ron. Still, it felt good to tell _someone_ the completely unaltered truth.

But, Bonnie ended up surprising Tara.

_'Tara's never been totally normal, has she? She likes watching those weirdo movies, to the point that she was convinced she was stuck in a horror movie at Wannaweep...and she ate Ron's ancient pork things...she hated all those Food-Chain approved guys we set her up with...the only guy she ever liked besides Ron was Josh, and he wasn't exactly normal either...face it Rockwaller, your friend isn't Jessica or Marcella...she'll always be a bit unique.'_ Bonnie's thoughts about one of her oldest friends was cut short by Tara.

"Bonnie? Bonnie? Hello? Earth to Bonnie!" Tara snapped her fingers.

"Gah!" Bonnie jumped, before turning to Tara and giving a slightly predatory grin, something Tara never liked being on the receiving end of.

"You know what, Tara? I approve." Tara's eyes widened. "If that Froob makes you happy, go for it. But, I gotta ask...does Possible know about this? I can't imagine Kay would be too happy about you sniffing around her lapdog. I mean, they are still together, right?"

"Don't call him a Froob!" snapped Tara, surprising Bonnie, before she continued. "Kim knows that Ron and I are friends, and I don't think she likes it. If she suspects anything else, I don't know. But, I'm not the kind of girl who goes around stealing other women's guys from them." huffed Tara.

"Are you going to see Stoppable later?" asked Bonnie.

"No, he's off at Cambridge, visiting Kim." Tara deflated at that. Bonnie noticed.

"That's totally lame. If he was here I'd drop him some subtle hints that he needs some more blonde in his life." cackled Bonnie.

"Bonnie, please."

"Alright, alright. I'll leave you guys alone. It's not like I can do anything from Madison anyway. So, what do you and the Froob usually do, anyway?"

As Tara began to animatedly talk about the things she and Ron liked to do, and some of the more interesting things they had already done together, Bonnie was only half listening.

_'Jeez, it sounds like Tara is just filling in for Kim while she's gone. If you hurt her, Stoppable, I'll personally rip Little Ron off and stuff it in your ear.'_

Bonnie had to stop Tara for a second when she mentioned the party with Ron, and kissing him on the cheek. "What, after all of that he still didn't figure out that you want him?"

"I don't think so. But I was just being friendly!"

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to jump him one day, maybe the next time his pants fall down." chortled Bonnie.

"BONNIE!" Tara's tomato-red face clashed terribly with her hair and eyes. Bonnie just laughed.

Though, as she continued to listen to Tara, Bonnie couldn't help but think about how great it would be if one of her best friends not only found that special someone, but in doing so managed to completely stick it to one of her worst enemies. Oh, that would just be wonderful!

_'It really is a shame I can't be closer to the action. Good luck, Tara.'

* * *

_

"KP, this campus is totally badical! Nothing like Lowerton!" Ron looked around in wonder at the various colleges and their grounds, which made up the entire Cambridge school. The (mostly) centuries-old buildings were a stark contrast to the modernist campus he attended.

"Glad you like it, Ron." smiled Kim as she kept her arm linked with his.

It was now the second week of Ron's 2-week trip to the UK, and the pair were just now getting around to seeing Kim's campus. In the first week, thanks to National Rail, Kim and Ron had seemingly been everywhere, including several days of sightseeing in London. It was Ron's first time being in that city in a non-mission capacity, and he'd thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ron hadn't found the native British food too appealing though, greasy or not. Thankfully, the Indian and other ethnic restaurants around had been more to his taste. Plus, of course, numerous trips to various British Bueno Nacho franchises.

The pair had also spent considerable time with Joanna and Vijan, Kim's two best friends at her school. Ron and Vijan had hit it off immediately, with Vijan's calm irreverence a perfect counter to Ron's more spastic outbursts. Joanna merely thought that Kim had managed to capture an excellent partner for herself, and jokingly informed Kim that she was jealous.

Today, however, was going to be a quiet day. Kim was showing Ron around her particular school, the other campuses that made up the University and the town of Cambridge itself, and after that, Ron was going to cook them a quiet dinner at her apartment. Ron had suggest curry and Kim liked the idea.

Of course, the two had also taken many opportunities to get into heated make-out sessions.

"Oh, Ron. There's something I forgot to tell you. In two days, we'll be meeting some friends of mine for dinner."

"Oh? Anyone I know?" Ron was genuinely curious.

"Maybe, but I can't tell you who." Kim said smugly.

"Aww...you're no fun!"

"Oh really?...That's not what you say when I do _this."_ replied Kim in a sultry voice before yanking Ron close to her body and giving him a smoking kiss.

"Mmm... you're lotsa fun..." mumbled Ron as he had his circuits fried.

* * *

"Oh come on, Bonnie! There's nothing wrong with this place!" whined Tara.

"Ugh! No, I refuse to set foot in there. You've been spending too much time with Stoppable if you think this place is okay." grumbled Bonnie as she put her foot down.

Tara, Bonnie, and a few of the other former Middleton cheerleaders were having a little get-together at Bonnie's house that night. It would be nothing too exciting, just a simple night of casually kicking back and catching up. The partying would be saved for another night. But, they needed munchies and drinks and Tara had directed Bonnie to Smarty Mart.

"Come. On. Please!" grunted Tara as she tugged on Bonnie's arm. Years of Kim's cheerleading drills had left both ladies with a lot more strength than your average young woman, and there seemed to be a game of irresistible force vs. immovable object going on, much to the amusement of several other people who were entering or exiting the Middleton Smarty Mart.

"It has the stench of _discount._" said Bonnie loftily.

"We just need snack foods and sodas, and there's no sense spending a ton at some other store." grumbled Tara as she continued to tug. Bonnie wondered when Tara had become so forceful.

"No!"

Tara decided to try a different tack. "You know, Mr. Barkin works here."

"So what?"

"I'm sure you have a few things to say to him about _summer school._" Tara was counting on Bonnie's not yet realizing that it was her own fault she'd been stuck in summer school after senior year.

Bonnie bought it hook, line, and sinker. "Hey...YEAH! Last summer should've been totally awesome, but I was stuck at school every day thanks to that psycho Jarhead!" Tara had to run to catch up as Bonnie stormed into Smarty Mart.

Five minutes later, Tara felt bad as she watched Bonnie imperiously order Steve Barkin to retrieve heavy items off of high shelves, only to change her mind and have him put them back. To his credit, Mr. Barkin didn't look like he wanted to strangle Bonnie _too_ much.

_'Sorry, Mr. B, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.'_ thought Tara as she made her way over to the grocery section to pick up a few gigantic bags of discount snacks and a couple of Smarty-sized jugs of soda and juice.

* * *

"This is the place Ron." said Kim as she ushered a slightly dressed up Ron into a small, pleasant-looking restaurant/pub called _The King's Table._

"Finally, I get to find out who these mystery people are!" said an eager Ron as he hurried into the eatery.

Kim and Ron arrived at a table where an older couple, both with black hair and in fashionably casual clothes, were sitting. Ron thought they both looked familiar.

"Hi Drew, Hi Sheila!" chirped Kim, expecting Ron to recognize them immediately.

"Hello, Kimmie." replied Sheila as Drew just nodded.

Ron still didn't get it. "Well, you two both seem familiar...have you two ever shopped at Smarty Mart?"

Three sets of eyes turned to face Ron, before looking at each other.

"Wait...no! You were teachers at Middleton High!"

Drew and Sheila shared a glance. "You're half right." smirked Sheila.

"Uh...did we ever see you guys on a mission?" asked Ron.

Before Sheila could snark out another witty reply, Drew finally had enough.

"Bah! I always knew you were a _buffoon!_"

It finally clicked. "Drakken and Shego!" he yelped.

"Ron, quiet!" hissed Kim. Thankfully, the small pub was almost deserted.

"But, KP! It's..."

"I know. Don't worry, Ron. They helped save the world, they've been pardoned, and gave up crime. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but...hey!" said Kim with a smile and a thumbs-up. Kim was willing to give the two a chance. And it seemed like their romance with each other kept them distracted from any other, more illegal activities.

Ron turned again to look at the former villains. "Uh, well...it's nice to see you like this, I guess. But, I gotta ask...what did you guys do to your faces?!"

Everyone just laughed as they sat down. Ron pointed out that he should've seen this coming, since Kim had told him all about her last meeting with them. Everyone agreed.

After their food arrived, Ron again began speaking to Drew and Sheila. "I have to admit, I'm surprised that you two got together."

"So were we." said Drew. "And so was mother."

"But it's going pretty well." said a smug Sheila as she lifted her hand to show off a rather impressive rock.

"Omigosh! Congratulations!" gushed Kim. Ron shared the sentiment.

"So, what prompted you guys to move here of all places?" asked Ron.

"Because I sold off every single property I had, except the countryside farm lair." said Drew matter-of-factly. "It's the quietest one."

"And the one his mother doesn't know about." muttered Sheila.

"Right!"

"So, what do you guys do now that you're 'retired'?"

"I do all of the same things I used to do, except villainy." smirked Sheila. "Drew still messes around in the lab, and he likes to cook."

"Oh, that reminds me, how did the time-machine refrigerator go?" asked Kim.

Drew put his head down on the table and grumbled something.

"What?"

"I said, I accidentally sent a week's worth of groceries to the year 2847!" growled Drew, much to Sheila's amusement.

"He, he, he even sent all of the 'cocoa moo!'" cackled Sheila. "He was depressed for a week!"

Drew simply fumed.

"I guess you never did things one at a time." chuckled Kim.

The former enemies continued their meal and reunion well into the evening. When everyone was set to leave, Sheila pulled Kim aside.

"So Princess, do you think things are okay?" she asked as she motioned slightly towards Ron.

Kim looked over at Ron, who was talking about cooking with Drew. "Yeah, I think everything with Ron is spankin'."

"Ooh, Princess, no need to tell me about what you and Stoppable get up to in private." smirked Sheila.

Kim stared blankly for a moment, and then... "Sheila!" ...sounded quite scandalized.

The two pairs gave their goodbyes and parted ways.

* * *

Jim Possible hummed to himself as he stood in line at the Bueno Nacho. Even though his holiday break was almost over, he was in a good mood. Tonight he was going to be hanging out with his brother and some of their friends, a night of newly released video games and junk food. It was going to be superb.

But, prior to that, Jim decided a little nacho-cheese injection was in order, and he'd made his way over to the Bueno Nacho for a double chimirito combo.

As Jim stood there, waiting for his chance to face Ned, something hit him from behind.

"Oof!" Jim was knocked forward, but didn't fall.

"Ouch!" Jim recognized that voice, and turned around.

There, sitting on the floor, was Katie Strong. It appeared that she hadn't been watching where she was going. As Jim looked down in silent surprise, she glanced up, and her face immediately brightened.

"Jim!"

Jim snapped out of it. "Hi Katie! I guess we keep running into each other, eh?" he asked as he helped her to her feet. Katie just giggled.

"I guess so!"

An awkward moment passed before Jim spoke again. "So, how have you been?"

"Oh, fine. The bump on my head went down, which is good."

Jim just chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously. But, inside, he was screaming.

_'SAY SOMETHING YOU HICKA-BICKA-IDIOT! ASK HER!'_

Jim coughed a bit before speaking up again. "So, uh...Katie...I realize this is a bit sudden...but, I was wondering..."

"Yes?!" Katie perked up.

"...I was wondering if maybe you wanted to see a movie or maybe..."

"I'd love to." said Katie firmly.

"Great! So, how about tonight? _My Best Friend's Diary_ is playing and..." Jim hoped the sappy romance movie would earn him some brownie points.

Katie fiddled a bit before responding. "Well, we _could_ see that, I mean...if you wanted to...but, the new Bricks of Fury movie is playing too! And it's got 60% more cinderblocks! I'd love to see that..."

"Okay!" Jim didn't mind this new development at all. "Hey, since we're both here, would you like to have lunch with me? I'm buying."

"Cool!" Katie smiled and fell into line next to Jim.

_'HOOOO-SHAAAAA!'_

A moment later, they had found their way into Kim and Ron's old booth, and sat down, chatting as they ate. Jim was surprised to find that Katie was actually quite talkative and inquisitive, but didn't mind at all.

_'Wow, she does ask a lot of questions...' _thought Jim as he answered another one. _'I guess I'll have to tell the guys I can't make it tonight.'_ he thought smugly, before also realizing, to his horror, that he'd also have to tell his mother that he had a date tonight.

* * *

"Oh come on Tara, I know you'll have fun." said a scantily clad Marcella as she dragged Tara towards the club in Upperton, along with Bonnie, Liz, and Hope.

"This really isn't my kind of thing..." Tara said quietly. She knew her friends wouldn't listen anyway.

Inside the club was the expected bumping music and moving bodies. Tara bought a non-alcoholic drink and found herself a table.

_'I'd rather be watching a DVD with Ron or something...'_

After turning away several older guys who wanted to dance with her, Tara finally acquiesced to one who didn't seem _too _drunk. But, after he proved a bit too grabby for her tastes, she retreated to the safety in numbers of her friends.

"This place tanks." grumbled Tara.

"Tanks?" asked Marcella.

"Oh, Tara's just using Froob-speak. She spends a lot of time with Ron Stoppable these days, you know." smirked Bonnie.

"Oh?"

"We're just friends!" Tara wasn't in the mood.

"Gotcha." said Marcella in a disinterested manner before heading out to the dance floor with another guy.

Mercifully, a few hours later, Tara found herself safely ensconced within the confines of her apartment. She was tired from the night's activities, but decided to sit down and shoot Ron a quick email before showering and going to bed. She flipped open her laptop and began to type.

_hey Ron. How are things in England? I hope you're having a good time with Kim. Tell her I said hi. _

_Bonnie and some of the other cheer girls are in town, and we just got back from a club. i really didn't have that great of a time. I think I prefer a couch, popcorn, and a movie, you know? Still, I pulled something impossible off. I got Bonnie into a Smarty Mart! Can you believe that? lol._

_well, that's it from me. Have a safe trip home!_

_Tara._

After sending the email, Tara shut her laptop, showered, and went to bed, intending to take advantage of having tomorrow off by sleeping in as late as possible.

* * *

"Hey, KP, mind if I check my email before we go?" asked Ron as he waited for Kim to finish getting ready for their date. Ron was going to be leaving tomorrow afternoon, so they were getting set for one last night out together.

"Not at all, Ron. The laptop is on my desk."

Ron flipped it open and logged into his account.

"Anything interesting, Ron?" called Kim.

"Meh, not much. One from my parents, one from Felix, one from Tara, and one from Wade."

"What?!"

"Yeah, Wade emailed me. Apparently he's got a date and he had to tell me."

"I didn't mean that, I meant from Tara! She's emailing you now?" Kim walked into the room, dressed up, beautiful, and looking slightly tweaked.

Ron turned around and looked evenly at Kim. "Yes, Kim. She emails me sometimes. Because we're friends. You know, just like how Monique emails me, because we're friends."

Kim stopped short. "Ugh." She rubbed her temples. "I'm getting so ridiculous."

Ron stood up and crossed over to her. "Hey, you want to keep your Rondo all to yourself. I know I would too, so I can't blame you." he joked with a warm smile, before leaning down to give his girlfriend a deep kiss.

"Mmm...and this is why I want to keep him all to myself." Kim looked a bit shell-shocked from the kiss, but happy just the same.

After separating, Kim and Ron linked arms and left, Tara's email not even read.

A few hours later, a rather entangled Kim and Ron half fell through the door of Kim's apartment. Kim already had a hand under Ron's shirt. The two made their way over to the bed and let the logical progression of things continue.

A short while later, Kim leaned over, reached into her bag and pulled out a small, foil square, passing it to Ron.

"Mmm...Happy Hanukkah, Ron Stoppable."

"Merry Christmas, Kim Possible." smiled Ron.

After that, the two found far more entertaining ways to spend their last night in the UK together.

* * *

As the experimental jet-chopper landed at the same facility Ron had left from, Ron was quite thankful that this particular trip had not involved Dr. Green and her nasally weirdness. This flight had only been shared with the same quiet pilot, and a soft-spoken man called Dr. Moore. Ron had accomplished some grade-A marinating on this flight.

As Ron and the pilot walked to the garage containing Ron's car, Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket.

"Hnnk! Home! Good!"

"Yeah, little buddy. It's good to be back. I already miss Kim though."

"Hawww." the mole rat sounded sympathetic.

"Sorry I didn't spend much time with you in England, Rufus. I guess Kim and I were just busy."

"Hnnk! S'okay! KIM!" Rufus was just glad his human was still so close to Kim. He still wasn't sure about that blonde girl.

"Still, how about I make it up to you? On the way home, we'll stop at Smarty Mart and get a nice pack of string cheese."

"CHEESE!" Rufus liked the plan.

A couple of hours later, and Ron was pulling into the Stoppable driveway. Rufus was in the passenger seat, sleeping next to a few empty string-cheese packages.

As he walked in the front door, carrying his suitcase, his mother came barreling out of another room to embrace her son.

"Ronnie! You're home! Give your mother a hug!" Ron did. "How was the trip, how was Kim?"

"The trip was badical and Kim's as bon-diggety as ever." said Ron with a goofy grin.

"Oh, you must be so tired from your trip. Are you hungry? I could whip something up. It's past suppertime, you know."

"No thanks, mom. I'm fine."

As Ron said that, his father walked into the room. "Son! Good to see that you made it home safely. Did you have a good trip?"

"Oh yeah, it was great!"

"That's great, son." replied Ron's dad as he too gave his son a hug. "Oh, by the way, one of your friends called about an hour ago. That Tara girl, she wanted to know if you made it home safely. I told her you weren't home yet."

"Ah, well thanks for the heads-up. I'm pretty tired, so I think I'll just shower and hit the sack." said Ron "Maybe I'll call Tara and tell her I made it home okay."

"It sounded like she missed you a bit." said Ron's dad, while Ron's mom frowned a bit.

"Okay. Well, goodnight guys." Ron grabbed his suitcase and began to trek up the stairs.

As Ron left, Ron's mother turned to his father. "You don't seem too bothered by this Tara girl trying to get so close to our son. You know how close he is to Kim."

"I think they're just friends, dear. Besides, that's Ron's business anyway, not ours."

Ron's mom just huffed a bit.

Inside Ron's bedroom, Rufus immediately crawled into his bed and conked out. Ron set down his suitcase, picked up his phone, and dialed the now-familiar number.

_Ring._

"_Hi Ron!"_ chirped a cheerful-sounding Tara.

"Hi, Tara. Just letting you know I got home okay."

"_Did you have a good vacation?"_

"It was great! Kim and I..."

* * *

I really don't like this chapter much. At all. AT ALL. Everything feels a bit off-kilter or something. Probably because I haven't written in so long. I actually had to re-read my story (which resulted in a lot of 'what the heck was I doing here?' sorts of moments) to try to get back into it's groove.

Certain parts of this story should've been longer and more fleshed out, and others shorter. But the ones that should've been shorter proved the most amusing to write, so they're longer.

I don't think I succeeded entirely. Oh well. I wasn't looking forward to writing the holiday break chapter anyway.

I've got another account with another, more popular story in the anime section (no, I won't divulge which one) that I've also been totally lax on updating. Oh well. I guess I need to start writing again, so I started with this.

I'm going to try to get the next chapter up reasonably quickly. Call it an apology for waiting so long. I will say now that Chapter 10 will have a timeskip. Nothing huge, just a jump ahead to the next semester, just after summer break. Because I'm a lazy writer.

I dunno Ron, calling Tara as soon as you get home from your vacation with Kim? Since when do you report to her?

I like the idea of a Tweeb dating Tara's sister.

I hope I didn't date myself with that Orange Lazarus gag.

I'm a native of the Milwaukee area, so before you WI people out there give me any stick about what Bonnie said, realize that an expert on the state provided her opinion for her ;)

I realize Kim/Ron and Drakken/Shego probably wouldn't be able to be so friendly with each other, even after DS go straight after helping Kim and Ron save the world but eh...my story, my rules.

Don't forget to tell me what you thought of my story. I can deal with criticism. Reviews is good, yo.

Zip it up, and zip it out!


	11. Bad Company, Good Company

Hey, an update. Lazy author means a timeskip. It's now the fall semester of the sophomore year of college for our heroes and heroines. That also means that both sets of twins have reached high school. Jim and Tim would be juniors now(if they were freshmen when Kim and Ron were seniors), and the Strongs are freshmen.

Shorter chapter too.

I don't own anything. ANYTHING! I only write these for fun. And to waste time.

* * *

The weeks and months of Kim's, Ron's, and Tara's freshman year of college blurred into one another and soon passed, as did that first summer vacation.

Things remained largely unchanged for the three students over this time frame. Ron and Kim continued to keep as much contact as possible. Ron and Tara remained very good friends. Kim remained wary of Tara, but unwilling to chase off the only real friend Ron seemed to have at home. Tara remained enamored with Ron, but even happier with his friendship. Tara also remained unaware of just _how much_ Kim was beginning to distrust her. Tara was aware that Kim didn't like her presence, but put up with it for Ron's sake.

That is, Tara remained unaware of _how much_ Kim distrusted her presence until one June morning that found Kim arriving at Ron's house, only to find a rather buxom platinum blond already there, knocking on the door.

Kim had remained civil with her old cheerleading partner, but for a moment, the tension in the air was so thick that even Ron's oblivious self wondered if the world was about to implode.

Ron's presence kept Kim from getting too wound up, and Tara managed to diffuse the situation by explaining that she was now working a normal Monday-to-Friday week at the Lowerton Med Center, and thanks to that, as well as Tara saving up enough money to buy herself a _very_ cheap used Volvo so she could have more freedom of mobility in the Tri-City, was staying the weekend at her dad's house. And since this particular Saturday found her siblings busy with their own things, Tara thought that she'd drop by to see her _friend_ Ron and see how he was doing.

Kim had never actually demanded to know why Tara was there, nor had she appeared terribly upset to someone who had never known her. But, the flash of anger in her eyes at Tara's presence had not gone unnoticed by Tara, and when sky blue eyes locked onto angry greens, it had been everything Tara could do not to collapse in fear right there on the Stoppable's porch. Tara didn't consider herself a flimsy girl, but against Kim Possible, she knew she would've been dog meat.

Later, in the safety of her father's home, Tara was rather indignant at how tweaked Kim had looked.

_'Hmmph! It's not like I'm trying to steal him away! I just wanted to hang out with my friend! She didn't have to go all she-hulk on me!'_

Tara wanted to hang out with Ron because she barely saw him anymore. Sure, she had a few friends that were home for the summer, but between work and distance, she had limited time to spend with any of them, let alone Ron, who was her preferred companion. Of course, the other reason she never saw Ron anymore was Kim, which Tara didn't hold against Ron.

Ron and Kim spent June more or less attached at the hip. If Ron wasn't at Smarty Mart, he was with Kim. Either on a date or just hanging out. Trips to Lake Middleton, trips to Upperton and Lowerton, trips to Go City, and even trips in the Sloth to various parts of the United States.

It was a busy June.

Unfortunately for Ron, June was to be all he'd get with Kim that summer. Kim was rapidly finding her groove at school and she'd been talked into taking a 3-credit summer course back at school by both fellow students and faculty, and would be leaving at the end of June.

Ron had been understandably tweaked, but said nothing. A few more nights of passion with Kim did soften that blow a bit, but Ron would've traded that for another two months any day of the week.

Ron did vent to Tara a little about his short time with Kim. Tara was happy to provide a sympathetic ear.

Ron and Kim weren't the only ones enjoying romance that summer. Tim Possible was still dating Rosa Flores, and Jim Possible's chance meetings with Katie Strong had led to them being a couple. The two couples occasionally double-dated, but Tim and Rosa seemed to prefer quiet evenings, while Jim and Katie usually looked for (safe) excitement, so they didn't do it often.

Even though Tim knew about Jim's new GF, Jim had kept quiet to his family about Katie initially, waiting until he was safely into the 'going steady' stage before telling them.

Eventually, Jim had to tell his mother where he was going on Friday and Saturday nights with his hair combed more nicely than usual and his shirt buttoned properly. Upon finding out that her other son had found a girl, her reaction was a combination of motherly joy and motherly suspicion of the girl who had entered her baby's life. Katie received the same veiled offer for free brain surgery that Rosa had received, but hadn't seemed fazed by it, and she'd quickly grown on Mrs. Possible.

Ron wasn't sure if the brain surgery thing was better or worse than Mr. Possible's black hole threats.

Of course, Jim's dating Tara's sister had led to one awkweird moment on a Saturday night after Kim had left to return to school. Tara had come home to do laundry that weekend, and Ron had gone to her house to watch _Death Bed: The Bed that Eats. _ Ron knocked on the door and was ushered in by Tara's father, only to find Jim sitting on the Strong's couch, waiting for Katie to finish getting ready. The two had stared at each other for a moment, before the two young men simultaneously asked what was going on. Jim said he was there for a date, and Ron said he was there to watch a cheesy low-budget horror film from the 1970s. Jim had given Ron a slightly sideways glance, but hadn't said anything more.

Jim had also decided he'd ask Katie about Ron and Tara.

After Kim's departure, things again fell into a niche of normalcy. Ron and Kim kept in touch via their Kimmunicator and Ronnunicator. Plans were made for Ron to visit, but they usually fell through, with Ron or Kim being too busy or having something come up. Still, it was an odd week if the two didn't spend several hours chatting on their PDA-like devices.

Ron and Tara remained practically best friends, hanging out when they had free time, watching movies from the Strong family's seemingly unending library, and even studying together. Tara now having the weekends off of work, and Ron working mornings on those days made it easy for them to find time for each other, as did Tara now having her own vehicle as well. Ron no longer had to go to Lowerton every time. Now Tara could come to him. And she did.

For the current semester, Friday night was still Bueno Nacho night at the Lowerton franchise. It was much better than the second semester of freshman year, where their schedules had required that Monday night become Bueno Nacho Noche for the blond duo.

Neither Ron nor Tara particularly cared much for Mondays. They liked to joke that if they could, they'd just give Mondays a pass and sleep right through until Tuesday.

Ron and Tara both had evening classes, and Ron didn't work on Fridays. Tara would drive to BN, grab a table and a drink, pull out a textbook to read, and wait for Ron. About 45 minutes later, he'd show up, ready to demolish a few Nacos with his naked mole rat buddy and his comely female friend (who was a far daintier eater). When it was her night to buy, Tara usually had a Naco waiting for each of them.

Which brings them to the present.

* * *

Ron smiled to himself as he pulled his old blue sedan into the parking space next to Tara's older, slightly battered green station wagon. _'When did girls start driving station wagons? Maybe if she was an 80s yuppie mom...'_

But, Ron wasn't at Bueno Nacho to think about Tara's car. _'Mmm. I can already taste the Nacos!'_

Ron hopped out of his car and entered the building. He saw Tara sitting in 'their' booth, Nacos already on the table. She waved and smiled.

"Hi Ron!"

"Hey, Tara. Thanks for the grub." Ron smiled in return, before taking a massive bite of his Naco. Rufus hopped out of Ron's pocket and plowed into his own grande-sized pile of processed cheese and tortilla.

"So, how were your classes?" asked Tara as she neatly chewed her low-fat bean burrito.

"Oy vey...surprise pop quiz in accounting!" Ron groaned. "Totally not expected, pretty sure I bombed it."

"Have you been studying?" Tara took a drink of her diet cola.

"I've been trying to. You know school and I go together like...like...me and lawn gnomes!" Ron exclaimed.

Tara didn't get the lawn gnome thing at all, but didn't dwell on it. "Did you remember what I told you about taking tests?"

"Always go with my first instinct, and don't second-guess myself?"

"Right. Did you do it?"

"Yeah. It was hard, but I managed to resist making changes. Would've just made the quiz longer anyway." Both young adults laughed.

"You know, Ron. It seems like you really don't have any study skills or good study habits, no offense. Didn't Barkin or Kim ever help you out?"

Ron didn't take offense. "Well, Barkin just piled work on me like crazy. Kim _made_ me study sometimes, but never really showed me _how_ to study like she does."

Tara made a sound, and then took another drink to keep herself from commenting. After swallowing, she spoke. "Well, I'm not a grade-A student or anything, but anytime you're having trouble studying, just ask."

Ron nodded.

"Hey, speaking of Kim, how are things going there? Still planning to visit her again?"

Ron grumbled. "Well, we talk a lot. But, every time we try to arrange a ride for a visit, something will happen and she can't do it, or something will happen at home and I'll need to watch Hana or something...we haven't seen each other since summer."

Tara frowned. "That stinks."

"Yeah. So, how about you? How's the nursing thing working out?" Ron went for the tried and true subject change.

Tara perked up. "Great! My anatomy and physiology class is really interesting! Organic and biochem is really hard though. And my sociology professor is a total witch! All she ever wants to talk about is how awesome she is because she wrote this book..." Ron listened as Tara went on.

"...so, one really interesting class, and the rest are either hard or taught by ogres?" chuckled Ron.

Tara smirked. "Yeah. I'm really enjoying it though. Oh, and there's something else."

"Hm?"

"My chem lab partner, Nina, she invited me to this party she's going to have at her parents' house in Middleton. She told me it wouldn't be too wild. I was thinking of going. I won't know anyone there, though, so I was wondering if you'd want to come with? It's tomorrow night." Tara looked hopeful.

"I..I guess so. I was thinking of going to see _The Toe Dude_ tomorrow, actually. But I could do this instead."

Tara pursed her lips for a second. "Well, we could do...both?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"The party will probably go well into the night. Couldn't we go to an evening show?"

"Yeah, that works pretty well, I guess." Ron smiled. Tara looked relieved.

"Wait, is there going to be alcohol there?"

Tara frowned. "I don't know. I hope not, but there probably will be some. I plan to avoid it. I'd probably avoid it even if I wasn't underage."

"Yeah, that's probably the best call. Well, I guess I can go."

"If it's a bit too crazy there, we can always just leave." noted Tara.

"Right. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Why don't you look to see when your movie is playing, and call me. I can pick you up at your house." Tara smiled, happy that Ron had agreed to go with her.

"You'll pick me up?"

"Sure! It's not like you didn't shuttle me around enough before I got a car." joked Tara. Ron just smiled.

"Coolio. Well, I think I need to get going and get some studying done before tomorrow." Ron gathered up his trash and stood. Tara agreed and did the same. After giving their goodbyes in the parking lot, they climbed into their respective vehicles to go home.

_'Great! I wasn't going to go to that party if Ron didn't come with.'_ thought Tara as she started her car and pulled away. Tara felt safe with Ron around.

_'I hope this place is kosher.' _ Ron wasn't getting any bad road vibes. He hoped he was right. He also wondered if he'd just agreed to go on a date with Tara. _'Nah, we hang out all the time. This isn't any different.'

* * *

_

"So, what did you think of the movie, Ron?" asked Tara as the pair walked towards Tara's car.

"It was alright. But it was a total rip-off of _The Finger Guy!_"

Tara laughed. "Gee, I can't imagine..."

"It wasn't nearly as good as _Death Bed_ though..."

Both teens held a straight face for a second, before bursting into guffaws of laughter.

It felt good to laugh and relieve some of the tension from inside the theater. Ron and Tara had spent the film's duration sitting next to each other, but taking care not to make any shoulder/hand/arm contact. They'd also pointedly avoided any sort of visual contact during the film's frequent sex scenes, which always seemed to occur the instant before the toe-stealing serial killer would strike.

Not having Rufus around to break up the tension with his own movie-watching antics didn't help. The molerat was staying at home tonight.

_'That was weird.'_ they both thought.

"So, where is this party?" asked Ron as he and Tara climbed into her car.

"Newman Acres, a couple of miles north of your neighborhood, I think. Nina gave me directions."

Ron whistled. _'Newman Acres? Money!'_ Ron idly wondered why someone from such a wealthy background would go to Lowerton.

A short while later, the two teens pulled up to a street in a very wealthy subdivision. Cars were lined up on both sides of the street, and around the block. Clearly, this wasn't going to be a small party. Even from the distance, they could make it flashing lights in the windows of one home, and could faintly hear a thumping bass beat.

Tara looked a bit hesitant, but asked "shall we?"

Ron nodded and the two went up to the house and entered.

Inside, they found the expected scene. Booming music, flashing lights, sweaty bodies packed in like sardines, and most of them holding a plastic cup or a bottle.

_'Great, this is exactly what Nina said it wouldn't be. This'll be just as fun as the club Bonnie took me to...'_

Ron's thoughts were a little simpler. _'Man, I hate techno.'_

Ron and Tara moved into the house and immediately began to look for a quieter place. Not finding one, they settled for a less-crowded place, in the dining room.

Soon the heat generated by all of the bodies in the house got the better of them, and Tara decided to risk a trip to the drink table, to get them a couple of sodas or whatever she could find that wasn't alcoholic. Ron suggested getting something in a sealed container, and Tara agreed, saying she'd try to find soda cans.

Ron idly watched Tara make her way to the table. As he was glancing around the room he noticed a tall man with dark hair who seemed to be several years older than most of the other party-goers. He also seemed to be taking an interest in Tara. Ron frowned.

_'I better keep an eye on him.'_

Tara returned a moment later, carrying two red plastic cups, one with a 'T' and one with an 'R' written on the side in permanent marker.

"Sorry, Ron, no cans. I did get this out of a bottle that hadn't been opened though." Tara handed Ron the R cup, which was filled with cola.

"Thanks Tara." Ron took a swig.

Moments later, the hostess of the party appeared, and Tara went over to say hi and thank her for the invite. Tara set her cup on a coffee table as she did.

At one point, Ron swore he saw the dark-haired guy pause for the briefest of seconds as he walked by that table.

Tara picked up her cup and returned to Ron, downing it's contents.

"Well, do you want to dance, Ron?"

Ron was surprised, but agreed.

As they moved to the fast-paced music, Ron noticed that Tara seemed to be swaying a bit, and giggling a bit more than was normal for her. The two stopped dancing during a break in the music, and returned to a quieter room.

Since they were both thirsty from dancing, Tara went to get refills. This time, Ron kept a very close watch on Tara.

Two young women who appeared to know Tara walked up, and began speaking to her. Tara seemed a bit more animated than usual. She'd also set her cup down again, and again, the dark-haired guy was at the table, and appeared to be pouring himself a drink.

_'I swear, he got close to Tara's cup there. Did he have a bottle in his hand?'_ warning bells were going off in Ron's head.

After returning to Ron with the drinks, Tara suggested they dance again. Ron agreed, only because he wanted to keep close to Tara. However, Tara's dancing was becoming more and more erratic, and Ron found himself separated from her, thanks to all the other dancers. Ron took the opportunity to edge over to the table where Tara had set her cup, not taking his eyes off of Tara the whole time. He picked her cup up and checked it's contents.

There was definitely more than cola in there. Ron decided he'd better get Tara out of there the first chance he had.

Moments later, the crowd around Tara seemed to be thinner, and Ron saw it. The dark haired guy was making his way towards her.

_'No! Not happening tonight!'_ Ron immediately broke away from the dancers and rushed towards Tara. The other man noticed and also picked up his pace, but was blocked by a throng of drunken dancers.

Ron reached Tara and grabbed her arm. She didn't seem to notice.

"Tara. Tara! We've got to go! I...uh...I left the gas on!" Ron was already pulling her towards the door. Tara willingly followed.

"Whatever you shay, Ronnie!" she giggled as she practically draped herself over him.

_'Bad! That guy must be the one that spiked something into her drink! Gotta get her out of here! What am I going to tell Tara's dad...'_ Visions of being crushed by Karl Strong briefly danced in the whirlwind of Ron's head.

As Ron practically dragged Tara out the front door, he glanced a look back. The dark-haired guy was standing in the middle of the dancers, looking right at him. And he didn't look happy. Ron tried to pick up the pace, but Tara didn't make it easy.

"What's the rush, Ronnie?" Tara pressed herself up against Ron and breathed in his ear as they walked.

Ron found that certain portions of his brain were being short-circuited, but the rest of him was working fine. "Tara, could you hand me your car keys?" Tara fished in her purse and produced a keyring, which she promptly dropped on the ground.

"Ooops! Hee-hee!" Ron picked them up and they continued. Tara's car was parked around the block, to Ron's dismay. Tara seemed to be thinking of other things though.

"Mmm, Ronnie. You're so cuuuuute. And funnn-nyyyy! And shweet! Why don't have I have a boyfren like you?"

"I...uh...I don't know." Ron's thoughts were still solely on getting Tara safely away. Her drunken rambling continued though.

"I wish I had ashked you out after Weepa-wanna. Then I coulda had ya insshtead of that Kim Possssssiblllleeee...you'd be my Ronnie."

Ron was at a loss for words. He could see his goal up ahead. He glanced behind to make sure they weren't being followed.

"But you shoulda figggured out that I likeshed you after that kissss! When you didn't assssk me out after that, I akshually cried once. You're a Ron heartbreaker!"

Tara seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. Her words were slurring more and her legs were less and less functional.

By the time Ron reached his goal, Tara's words were booming around in his head and his desire to get safely away from the party had him slightly frantic.

Tara actually grabbed Ron's butt and cackled as he helped her into the car.

Ron finally relaxed when he had Tara and himself in the car, the doors locked, and the engine running. Mercifully, Tara passed out in the passenger seat. Ron reached over to make sure her breathing and pulse were okay, and then motored away from the party, not looking back.

_'God, this is bad. I wish KP was here. She'd know what to do.'_ thought Ron has he piloted Tara's car towards her house. Tara was snoring softly in the passenger seat. _'I hope Tara's okay. And I hope Mr. Strong isn't too angry...'_

About 10 minutes later, Ron pulled Tara's Volvo into the Strong's driveway, exited the car, and went around to extricate Tara. As he gingerly pulled her out of the car, Tara stirred.

"Ronnie? Are you gonna take me to your room?" she asked coquettishly.

"No, Tara. You're going to your dad's house and you're going to sleep this off." said Ron.

"Awww."

With Tara's arm draped over his shoulder, and Tara leaning on him heavily, Ron made his way to the Strong's front door and rang the bell. Karl Strong, who looked like he had been sleeping on the couch, answered, and immediately stood at attention when he saw the state of his daughter.

"We went to that party, and I think this guy was slipping booze into Tara's soda, and she started getting woozy and then I saw the guy going towards her so I dragged her out of there and..."

"Whoa, whoa, Ron...slow down." Karl Strong asked Ron to repeat himself, slowly.

"We went to the party, and I noticed this guy was watching Tara. And then I noticed that he was getting a bit too close when she was at the table with the drinks. Then she started getting kind of tipsy and then that went to really drunk and I found her cup had alcohol in it that I _know_ she didn't add. And then that guy started going towards her when it looked like he had an opening, so I rushed in and grabbed her and left."

Karl Strong looked at Ron, and then over to his daughter.

"Hiiii daaaaadeeeee!"

Karl sighed a bit. "Thank god she's safe. And thank you for getting her out of there, Ron. You really are a good man."

Ron was silent.

"Come on, Tara. Let's get you inside." Mr. Strong reached over to help is daughter into the house.

"Waaaait!" said Tara, before turning and wrapping her arms around Ron and planting a big kiss onto his lips. Ron was too shocked to react, apart from blushing. Mr. Strong looked equally surprised. "Okay, now we can go in! I hadta get my goodnight kissss." chirped Tara.

As he half-carried Tara into the house, Mr. Strong turned to Ron. "Could you wait out here for me, please? I'd like to speak to you." Ron obliged.

Shortly later, he appeared again. "She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow." confirmed Mr. Strong. Ron just nodded, still a bit shocked from Tara's actions.

"Is everything you told me about tonight true?" asked Mr. Strong.

"I swear it."

"Then...thank you. Thank you." Mr. Strong grabbed Ron and gave him a crushing hug. "I don't think I could've handled it if something happened to my little girl. You really are a hero." Mr. Strong had tears running down his face.

Ron and Mr. Strong continued to talk about the party, his and Tara's reservations about going in the first place, and the night in general, before Ron said it was late and that he should call his parents for a ride home, or walk.

"Ron, why don't you just take Tara's car home? I don't want to leave Tara alone and it's late. Besides, that'll give you an excuse to come back here tomorrow. I'm sure Tara will have some things to say to you when she wakes up and finds out what happened." Ron agreed, said his goodbyes, and left in Tara's car.

_'Tara would be lucky to have a guy like you with her all the time, Mr. Stoppable.'

* * *

_

After a largely sleepless night spent thinking about everything that had happened and everything Tara had said, the next morning came, followed by the next afternoon, and Ron jumped into Tara's wagon and began the drive to her father's home, not knowing what to expect.

When he arrived and knocked on the door, Ron was surprised when Tara answered the door. It was an extremely bleary-eyed, hung-over-looking Tara dressed in baggy sweatclothes, but it was Tara. "Hi Ron."

"Hey, Tara. How are you feeling?"

"Like there's a truck parked on my brain. Urgh." Ron grimaced in sympathy.

Tara looked back into the house. Her brother was watching TV on the couch, and she could hear her dad puttering about in the kitchen. "Let's go for a walk around the block, Ron. Maybe the fresh air will do me some good." Ron just nodded.

Ron noticed that Tara was doing everything she could to keep the sun away from her eyes as they walked.

"I'm remembering little bits of what happened last night. I can't believe I acted that way." Tara couldn't keep the melancholy from her voice. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

"It wasn't your fault."

"No, but I still made an ass of myself."

Ron shrugged. "You don't mix well with alcohol. Really, it isn't your fault."

Tara looked relieved. "You know, if you hadn't wanted to be my friend anymore, I would've understood. I've been a bit scared that I wouldn't see you anymore."

"Nah, we're all chauncey. I'd never abandon one of my best friends over something like this."

"Thank you Ron."

Moments later, they arrived at Tara's front door.

"My dad told me everything you told him. I never even noticed that guy."

"He was really being sneaky..."

"If you hadn't been there, I don't know...I don't know what...what would've happened." Tara was close to tears. "That's why I didn't want to go alone. I didn't even really want to go at all. I don't know why I went in the first place. I hate places like that."

Ron placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tara..."

He didn't get a chance to finish before Tara whirled into him and pulled him into a crushing hug, crying as she did. "Thank you, Ron. Thank you. You really are amazing." she sobbed before she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're one in a million, Ron. Don't ever change, or let anyone take you for granted."

Ron was too shocked to say anything, so he just nodded dumbly.

"I better go in. I still feel pretty sick. I'll have my dad give you a ride home. Thank you again, Ron." Tara smiled weakly before entering the house.

A moment later, Mr. Strong came out and the two of them climbed into Mr. Strong's old Honda and set off. A nearly silent car ride later, and Ron was back at home. Ron thanked Mr. Strong, and walked into the house, his mind a swirl of the events of the past night.

Ron resolved to find some time in the near future to talk to his dad about everything that had happened. It would probably feel good to talk about the events of the previous night, and run his confused thoughts past someone else.

* * *

Yay, short chapter. It's probably going to be a bit longer before the next chapter comes out. Just a warning.

I wrote half of this chapter while wide awake during the normal part of the day, and the other half late at night while half-asleep. It may show.

Sleazy drink-spiking date rapist isn't going to return. He's a one-chapter guy. I didn't have any specific drug or drink in mind that he slipped into Tara's drink. It was bad news, whatever it was, though.

I guess a drunk woman's words are a sober woman's thoughts, eh?

I doubt I'll actually write the scene where Ron talks to his dad, which makes me wonder why I ended the chapter that way. Oh well.

It's Wannaweep all over again, Ron. You're Tara's hero.

Kim needs to amp down on the school stuff. Stand by your Ron, girl.

It's cool and annoying at the same time when reviewers figure out things that might happen in my story in future chapters. I'm not going to say which reviewers are figuring things out and which ones are so off-base it's funny, but yeah. Just thought I'd mention that.

Read, review, scratch yourself, etc.

Wakka Wakka.


	12. The Bomb gets Dropped

By the gonads of Abe Lincoln, it's been a long time since I've updated this!

There will be a longer AN at the end of this chapter, btw.

Kim Possible. Gone, not coming back for a fifth season, and that's just the way I like it. Also, I don't own the show or anything related to it. This is just written for fun.

This story gets underway during the second semester of everyone's second year of school, btw. Kim, Ron, Tara are all 20-21 by this point. The tweebs and their girlfriends (and Tara's sibs) are all about 15-16 then. High schoolers, with Jim and Tim nearing graduation, I guess.

* * *

_Spring, sophomore year. Graduation year for Ron and Tara. _

"Why are we doing this again, Kim?" cried Ron as he and Kim escalated their Kimmunicator-based argument.

"Can you look me in the eye and say there's nothing going on between you and..._Tara!"_ snarled Kim as she fought the urge to wave the Kimmunicator around in anger.

Ron felt disheartened. It had been so long since he and Kim had argued this way. But, she was in the UK again, and Ron was back at home, and distance and suspicion were starting to wear Kim thin, it seemed.

"How can you say that, KP? You're the only girl I've ever kissed more than once! You're the only girlfriend I've ever had, and you're certainly the only girl I've ever done...that...with! There's _nothing going on between me and Tara!" _replied Ron angrily as he stared straight into the handheld device.

"She's the reason you forgot to call me yesterday, isn't she? Just admit it!"

"She's! Well..." Okay, so Kim had a point. He _had_ forgotten to call Kim. He'd forgotten because Tara had asked him to go with her to a social event for the nursing students at Lowerton Tech.

Ron rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I knew it!"

"It was just a luncheon thing at school! She asked me to go with her. You know the Ronman can't turn down free food..." Ron tried.

"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. I mean, I _found her at your stinkin' house last summer..."_

Ron sighed. "KP..."

"And Jim told me about your visit to her house!"

Ron gulped. He'd been wondering if Kim had heard about that or not. It seemed like she had.

Still, what was the big deal? He'd done _nothing_ with Tara, apart from a one-sided drunken kiss that he'd not really wanted (maybe enjoyed a little bit after the fact, though) and a lot of friendly hanging-out.

Which is what friends _do with one another!_

"Amp down, KP! I've never done _anything_ with Tara! We're just friends! I keep telling you that. You know how much trouble I have getting new people to like me. She's really the only person I can hang out with when I'm not at school..."

"You keep saying that Ron, but..."

"Just say it, KP."

"Are you cheating on me, Ron?"

"No. And I never would." Ron looked her square in the eye (at least, her eyes on the Kimmunicator's screen).

Ron and Kim both suddenly felt very tired.

Kim sighed. "I know, but..."

Kim paused for a moment.

"She never got over her crush on you. You know that, right? It didn't just go away when she started dating Josh Mankey. He was her rebound." said Kim in a small, tired voice.

Ron's eyes widened.

"And, just...the thought of her spending so much time with you is just..."

"KP, I..."

"It's late here, Ron. Maybe I should just call it a night."

"Maybe you're right. Goodnight, KP." replied Ron. It probably was a good time to stop for the night, before one or both of them said something that couldn't be taken back.

"Bye, Ron."

Ron stared at the now-blank device for a moment, before sighing and sinking into the couch, head in his hands.

Back at Cambridge, Kim put her head down in her arms and tried not to cry, wondering where the feeling of security in her relationship with Ron had gone.

* * *

_Later in Spring, Bueno Nacho. _

"I can't believe we're almost finished! Two years really went by fast. I can't wait for this semester to be over." said Tara with a smile as she bit into her Naco Jr., a smaller version of the original Naco for lighter appetites.

"I know! It's gonna be bon-diggety to finally get out there and find a real job. I love Smarty Mart and all, but I don't think I can spend my whole life there..." agreed Ron as he bit into his Naco Grande...which was pretty much the opposite of the Naco Jr. in every way.

"What are your plans once you've finished?" asked Tara around another bite.

"Find a job, find a place, and move out. Kim will probably go for a doctorate in whatever she's going to school for. I just hope she comes back to this country for grad school. I'll just have to wait her out, I guess." said Ron, sounding a little sad as he mentioned Kim.

Tara frowned. "That's a long wait, Ron."

"It's only two years. If she comes back."

"I suppose. Do you know what she's studying right now?" asked Tara.

"It seems to change every semester...I don't know how she's going to finish school if she keeps changing her mind and trying to do everything at once." replied Ron.

"I just hope it's worth the wait. Will you move if she goes to school in Go City or something?"

"I really haven't thought that far ahead." sighed Ron.

Tara didn't respond.

"How about you, Tara? What are you going to do?" asked Ron in an effort to change the subject.

"Once I've got my associates, I've got a national exam to pass before I'm a registered nurse. Then, hopefully I can find a position somewhere." answered Tara.

"There are a lot of hospitals in the Tri-City." mused Ron as images of Kim's mom and the med center she worked at popped into his head.

"Yeah. Plus, there are a lot of other options. Care centers like Treewood hire a lot of nurses too."

Treewood was a county-run assisted-living home in Middleton. It was a sprawling place that hired hundreds of Middleton residents.

"Plan to go back to Middleton?" asked Ron.

"Oh of course! I love Middleton...I'm not sure if I'll ever leave there. Hopefully I can find a job in the city." said Tara with a grin. "Plus, family is there."

"That makes two of us. I'll probably stay in Middleton until I've got no teeth left and I'm living in a room at Treewood." grinned Ron as he took another bite of Naco.

"You'll be sucking your Nacos through a straw." Both he and Tara laughed at that.

As they resumed their meal, the argument with Kim floated into Ron's mind as he looked at Tara. He fought the urge to sigh.

_'Kim would hate this. But, Tara's the only friend I have, real friend anyway, that I can see with any regularity. All of the other people I know at school are just class buddies. As soon as class is over, we go our separate ways. Same with the people at Smarty Mart. I know Kim wouldn't want me just sitting around, only spending time with Rufus...'_

Ron took another look at Tara and suddenly her drunken kiss flared into his memories.

_'What is it about these two women, that I can never stay away from them?'_

* * *

_Middleton High Cafeteria._

"Katie! There you are." said Jim with a smile as he looked up from his mystery meat surprise. He'd been waiting to meet his girlfriend for lunch.

"Hi Jim." said Katie, giving him a quick peck before glancing around to see if Barkin had seen her PDA.

"Mmm. Hicka-bicka-hot!" grinned Jim with a small leer at his girlfriend, who snorted and slapped his shoulder playfully before getting into her own lunch.

They chatted amiably about a variety of topics while they ate (forced down the mystery meat) before the topic turned to their older siblings.

"Heard anything from your sister lately?" asked Katie as she munched an apple to get the spoiled-bacon-and-athlete's-foot taste of the school's mystery meat out of her mouth.

"Not much." replied Tim. "My parents are going to visit her in a month or two."

"Are you going with them?" asked Katie.

"No." Jim replied glumly. "Apparently school is too important for me and Tim to miss for a week. Oh well."

"That sucks." agreed Katie.

"Just more time I get to spend with you." Jim winked at her, causing a slight flush to her cheeks. "How about your older sister? What's Tara up to in Lowerton?"

"Oh, just the usual. School, mostly. She finished her internship, too. When I see her she mostly just talks about things she's done with Ron, and...er..." Katie drifted off as she realized who she was talking to. "Er, sorry...I know you said Kim and Ron are..."

"No, it's fine." sighed Tim. Being no fool, he'd figured out by now that Kim and Ron were having some difficulties, and that Kim's suspicions of Tara were part of it. "Do you think Tara actually like-likes Ron?"

Katie paused for a moment. "Yeah. I do. She always has."

Jim nodded.

"I really don't approve anymore. I did when I was in middle school, but...maybe Tara should back off." said Katie, touching her fork to her lips in thought.

"Approve?"

"Of Tara spending so much time with Ron. Now that I know she really does like him and he's dating your sister, it just seems...wrong. I like Ron a lot, especially for Tara, but he's dating your sister..."

Jim nodded.

"Especially since Ron is kind of vulnerable right now. Kim's gone away, and without tooting my sister's horn too much, she's sweet, fun, gorgeous, and all over Ron." said Katie.

"Kind of like you, except for the Ron part." said Jim with a grin.

Katie snorted. "You're too smooth for your own good, Jim Possible. But, you understand why I don't like what Tara is doing, right?"

"Yeah. What made you change your mind?" asked Jim.

"You."

"Huh?"

"Dating you. Now I realize how upset I'd be if someone tried to steal you away. Or even looked like they were trying to steal away my cute Jimmy." she said, pinching his cheek with a grin as she said it.

"Oh, come on..." Jim blushed, looking around to see if any of his buddies (or worse, his brother!) had caught the display. Nobody appeared to be laughing though.

"What do you think about all of this?" asked Katie.

Jim sighed. "I dunno. I feel like I should be mad at Ron, for making my sister upset..."

"But...?"

"But...well, Ron's like a brother to me too. And I can kind of see why Kim's choices would bother him. Kim deserves as much blame as he does." began Jim.

Katie nodded, urging him to continue.

"Ron's always kind of needed...somebody sensible to hang with. Someone who gets him and doesn't mind how weird he is, but still keeps him level and doesn't let his bad habits take over, y'know? Kim's always done that for him. As cool as Rufus is, he's not really enough. Ron needs a reliable human friend too."

"And now Kim's gone." agreed Katie.

"Right! Not just gone, but we hardly even hear from her anymore! She must be really busy over there. Ron must be feeling pretty left behind, you know. If it wasn't for Tara, he'd probably be really depressed." Finished Jim.

"I wonder if Kim is doing it on purpose, has some kind of future plan, maybe." mused Katie.

"If I know my sister, she does. And she's so sure of it that she didn't even stop to think and ask anyone else about it. Full steam ahead." griped Jim. "She's always done things like that. I can still remember the soccer team nightmare when I was a little kid..."

"Aww, poor baby." winked Katie.

"You play on a kiddie league team coached by Kim Possible and see if you don't have nightmares!" retorted Jim.

"Sorry, I played tennis." Katie stuck her tongue out playfully.

Jim laughed before sighing. "I just hope nobody gets hurt too badly."

"I guess neither of us approves of what Tara and Kim are doing, eh?"

"Yeah. But, it's really none of our business, so I guess we'll just have to sit back and hope for the best."

Katie nodded.

"Now, let's quit talking about this depressing topic and get on to something else." said Jim with a grin.

"Like what?" asked Katie.

"Borrowing my dad's car this Friday and taking it to "see" [finger quotes] _Bricks of Love _at the Middleton Drive-In." said Jim with a grin.

"I like the way you think." said Katie before planting another kiss on Jim.

"POSSIBLE! STRONG!" both teens jumped as the booming voice of Steve Barkin blasted across the cafeteria. "That'll be three hours in Saturday detention for gross violation of school PDA regulations!"

Jim and Katie both groaned.

* * *

_Possibles in the UK. A bit more than one month later. _

Kim turned away from putting up her hair as she heard the knock on her door.

She opened it to find Doctor Anne Possible standing there, dressed in casual togs.

"Mom!" Kim stepped forward to hug her mother.

Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Possible were visiting their daughter and taking a much needed break for themselves. They'd arrived two days prior, and Kim had already showed them much of the area she was living in.

The Doctors had plans later that night for dinner and alone time without Kim, but this morning it seemed Mrs. Dr. P was visiting her daughter alone.

"Good morning, Kimmie." said Mrs. Dr. P as she returned the hug.

"I'm almost ready to go. But, where's dad?" asked Kim as she peered into the hall.

"Your father is still tired out from last night, so I'm letting him sleep in. I left a note. He'll probably still be out when I get back to the hotel." said the Dr. with a small smirk. "I thought some mother-daughter time would be nice."

"Spankin! I know a great spot to get breakfast, we can go as soon as I'm done." said Kim as she returned to her coif.

A short while later found Kim and her mother seated at a very quaint greasy spoon, not far from where she was living.

"Are you enjoying school, Kimmie?" asked her mother as they began to drink their coffee.

"Oh mom, I just love it! I feel like I can't get enough learning done in the space of time I'm here."

"That's good, dear." replied the Dr. with a smile.

"I'm really glad that you and dad came to visit me. I've missed you guys. I'm sorry I'm not home more often."

"As long as you're doing well here, Kimmie, I'm fine with it."

The two paused to place their orders for breakfast, and went back to their conversation. After Kim talking about the international law classes she was taking, and Mrs. Dr. P telling Kim all about the updates and expansions to the hospital, the talking turned to more personal matters.

"Have you seen Ronald lately?" asked Mrs. Dr. P gently.

Kim sighed. "No...he and I have been having some trouble lately."

Anne gave her daughter that kindly but firmly expectant look that only a mother can, and Kim soon began to talk.

"We've both been too busy to see much of each other. I've got so much to do here, and he's graduating soon. I'm sure he'll find a job and be even more busy before too long. Even with the free transportation favors, there's still too much trouble to make the trips."

The Dr. nodded.

"Almost every time we talk to each other, we fight. There's more and more tension."

"Why is that, Kimmie?"

"I don't know if there's just one reason." sighed Kim.

"You know you can tell me anything, Kimmie."

Kim sighed again. "Oh, where to start? I suppose the first thing is that sometimes I just feel so mad at him for not putting any effort forth when we were in high school. I tried to get him to study more and pick his grades up, and I had hoped that I would go to one of my choice schools, and there'd be one not far away from there that he could go to. Maybe we could've lived together off campus, even."

Her mom nodded.

"And when that didn't work out, I decided that I would just go to the best school I could, and keep as close in touch as possible to him. Clearly, that's not working out." grumbled Kim.

"Long distance relationships are hard to maintain, Kimmie." agreed her mother.

"Sometimes I feel like Ron would've come out here with me, even if he wasn't going to school. But, I didn't want that. I want him to get his education taken care of and accomplish it by himself...I didn't want him to feel like he needed to immediately follow me just for the sake of being with me. We're young...that could've waited."

"I do hear that he's doing very well at Lowerton." agreed Kim's mother.

Kim continued. "Sometimes I feel like I don't really know him anymore. Every time I talk to him, he's just a little bit less like the Ron I remember, and more and more like...I dunno, his _dad_ or something. He doesn't say his goofy lines as often, sometimes he's so serious about things that I'm caught off guard by it...I dunno, I always wanted Ron to be a little more mature, but I never expected him to abandon his 'never be normal' lifestyle like this. I don't know what to say about it, really."

"People do change as they grow up, Kimmie. You are too. It's enough to make a mother feel very old sometimes." said Mrs. Dr. P with a gentle smile.

"Even if you feel old, you look as young as ever, mom." said Kim with a grin.

"Thank you, Kimmie." replied the Dr. before urging her daughter to continue.

"The worst thing is Tara." said Kim.

"Your old cheerleading friend?" asked the Dr, feigning ignorance.

"Yeah. I guess she and Ron have become really good friends now. I get upset just thinking about it. I always imagine that he's cheating on me and it drives me nuts." said Kim.

"Do you think Ron is...cheating?"

"That's just the thing! I _don't _think he's cheating on me! In fact, I'd say I'm 99% certain that he isn't. But I still got all jealous and I just feel like I'm losing him. The last time I felt this way was when he ran off with Yori, back in high school."

Anne didn't know who this Yori was, but clearly she'd upset Kim at some point.

"I gave him the Puppy Dog Pout once, after asking if he'd cheated on me. He said no. And you know he could never resist the PDP. And I _know_ that Tara doesn't have it in her to do something like that...but I can't help it. I just feel so insecure and...mad when I hear about her..." Kim moaned sadly.

"Have the two of you talked about her?" asked Kim's mom.

"Yeah. And fought about her. Ron says that he doesn't have many real friends back home, which just makes me feel more like an evil jealous freak when I get mad about her...I dunno. I keep feeling like I made a mistake in coming out here for school...but I love this place...I really feel like I belong here. Like I'm finally in a place where I can really apply myself. I'm hoping that when Ron graduates, he and I can be together again and this will all be behind us."

"A new plan, Kimmie?"

"Sort of. When he graduates, I'm going to be there. And I'm going to ask him to move here with me."

Anne's eyebrow went up.

"He'll have finished school. I'm sure he'll be able to find something to do for work, and we'll be together again." Kim paused.

"I want to start doing missions again, at least on a limited basis."

"Kimmie, I thought you were going to stop them until you'd finished school." Anne was genuinely surprised.

"I know, but mom...I just can't leave them. They're in my blood now, and being away from them is more than I can take. There are new freaks to fight, and more of them. Joss and Wade are doing well, but they don't need to be the only ones..." said Kim.

"Do you think Ron will be willing to start them again?"

"I hope so. I can't do missions without him..." Kim looked genuinely bothered at the thought of not having Ron by her side while freak-fighting.

"Have you told him about this?" asked Mrs. Possible.

"No. I don't want to do it until I can see him in person." replied Kim.

"Has he told you about anything he plans to do with his future?"

"No, not really."

Anne clearly wasn't able to keep the upset look off of her face upon hearing about the dire lack of real communication between her daughter and her longtime partner, because Kim asked what was wrong a second later.

"It's nothing, Kimmie. But, I do have one piece of advice."

"What's that?"

"You say that you and Ronald are having a lot of trouble. If you ever feel like things are getting completely out of control and that your friendship with him is in danger, please don't be afraid to take a break from being lovers, if only to save everything else you two have."

Kim gave her mother a strange look, but nodded. "I'll think about it."

* * *

_Summer Graduation, Lowerton Technical College._

Tara rushed through the crowds of people that were filling LTC's fieldhouse, her thick blonde curls flying behind her as she searched for both her own family and for Ron.

_'He looked so handsome in his cap and gown.'_ she thought to herself, before quashing any other thoughts about Ron's looks.

After a few minutes of searching, she spotted him near a corner, with the rest of his family, including his adopted Japanese sister.

Tara grinned and began to make her way over. She was about to call out and wave when she spotted something that stopped her in her tracks.

Kim was there, suddenly bursting out of nowhere to give Ron a huge hug and a kiss.

Tara stopped and watched for a few seconds, trying to ignore the feelings that were welling up in her stomach and chest. A few more seconds passed, before Tara (probably wisely) decided to simply back up, and disappear into the crowd to find her own family.

Ron and Kim never noticed her presence.

* * *

_The Same Night, Stoppable Residence._

Several hours later found Kim and Ron at the Stoppable residence, in Ron's bedroom.

"I'm really proud of you, Ron Stoppable." said Kim as she kissed her BF.

"Mmm." agreed Ron as he returned it.

After a somewhat prolonged necking session, the two were content to simply relax together on Ron's bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Ron. There's something I want to ask you." said Kim after a few moments of silence.

"What's that, KP?" asked Ron as he turned to look at his girlfriend.

"Er, it's a couple of things actually. Ron, would you be willing to move to England with me? I want to be with you again, and I want to start doing missions again too."

Ron's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting that. He looked back up at the ceiling, before sighing and sitting upright.

"Ron?" Kim looked concerned and sat up too.

Ron steeled himself and took a deep breath. "KP...I don't know how to say this, but..."

Kim leaned forward, eyes wide.

"But I decided when the Hench incident was over that I wasn't going to be going on any more missions. Ever."

Kim suddenly looked _very_ pale.

"KP? KP? Say something." Ron implored.

Kim took a shuddering breath, and her eyes were beginning to water.

"Y-y-you don't want to do any more missions with me?"

Ron sighed. "I'm sorry, Kim. But, I want that part of my life to have ended back in high school."

"The part of your life with me in it." spat Kim, clearly trying hard not to cry.

"I love you, Kim! And I want to be with you, more than anything! I just don't want to do the missions anymore. And I think Joss and Wade have the freak-fighting under control." said Ron, clearly fighting emotions himself.

Now Kim looked angry.

"What! What are you saying, Ron? That you don't want me to do the missions either? Ron, I can't leave them behind! The missions are in my blood, I just can't stop doing them forever."

Ron looked down. "I'm sorry, Kim."

"When were you planning to tell me this? I've been planning to..." Kim started before Ron cut her off.

"And when were you planning to tell me that you were going to go back to the missions so soon?" demanded Ron. "I never knew anything about any of this! Did you just assume that I would want to jump right back into them again?" snapped Ron.

"I thought you'd want to, I always thought we'd be able to go back to how things were before, once you finished school and we could be together again." said Kim in a small voice.

Ron groaned. "KP, I've changed, we both know it. I loved doing the missions and being with you on them, but I can't keep them up. I just wanted to stay in Middleton...leave that excitement behind."

"Whatever happened to never be normal?" asked Kim.

"I guess...I still like being different, but not being normal doesn't necessarily mean flying all over the world and dodging lasers and explosions every other day." sighed Ron.

"You've changed so much. I never thought I'd come back here and find you so different." said Kim sadly.

"Maybe you should've thought of that before leaving in the first place." Ron gritted out quietly.

That effectively killed the conversation for several moments, before Kim spoke up again.

"You really won't do them with me anymore?" she asked in a tiny, heaving voice.

Ron groaned and put his head in his hands, before looking up. "Kim, I know I'm not the most grown up guy, or the most mature, but I am grown up enough to know that I don't want the missions to define my life anymore. I may not have been the one leading them, but the missions defined my life."

Kim's shoulders began to sag.

"I don't want them to, anymore. I want to do my own thing, start my own career, all of that. I love you, but I can't go back..."

Kim's sniffles had grown into full-on sobbing by this point, and the tears were flowing.

_'So much for planning.'_ she thought bitterly.

"KP?"

"R-Ron, I need to go." Kim managed to choke out between sobs, before standing up and racing out of Ron's room. Ron didn't try to follow her.

_'Sigh. What do I do now? I could really use some of sensei's wisdom.' _thought Ron to himself as he placed his face in his hands again, his own tears falling freely.

About an hour later, Ron's phone rang. He thought of not answering, but in the end decided to pick up.

It was Tara.

"Hello?"

"_Hi Ron! Congratulations on graduating! Isn't this exciting? It's like the rest of our lives are ready to be lived, just waiting for us!"_

"Hi Tara...yeah, it's pretty badical, alright..." Ron's voice belied his words.

"_Ron, what's wrong?" _

"Kim and I just had a fight, and..." Ron sniffled a bit.

"_Do you want to talk about it?"_

Ron paused a moment, before beginning to open up to Tara.

* * *

_One Week Later._

Kim and Ron didn't see each other for the rest of Kim's return to the States. They didn't even manage to say goodbye to one another when Kim left to return to school, four days after the blowup in Ron's bedroom.

They were both hurt too badly.

Finally, after a week, Kim called Ron on the Kimmunicator.

Conversation had been stilted, awkward, and short. Things hadn't been this rough between Kim and Ron since the incident with Eric and the Junior Prom.

As the conversation began to devolve into bitterness and sniping comments, Kim remembered what her mother had said.

"_If you ever feel like things are getting completely out of control and that your friendship with him is in danger, please don't be afraid to take a break from being lovers, if only to save everything else you two have." _

"Ron...I think maybe we should take a...break...from being together like this. Maybe we should try to just be best friends again, before one of us says or does something that can't be taken back."

Kim could feel her heart shattering into pieces as she said it.

But it shattered even more when Ron, after a pause, said "Maybe that would be best, Kim."

After the call was over, neither young adult could stop crying.

Rufus looked on with sad eyes as his master sobbed to himself as he sat on his bedroom floor.

* * *

Well, that's it for chapter five. First I'd like to just thank everyone who reads this, as I'm sure more than a few of you left this story for dead.

In my original outline for this part of the story (which does sort of exist by the way) the events here would've been more detailed and probably stretched out over 3-4 shorter chapters.

But, you know what? It's been so damn long since I updated this that I decided to just splice them together in abridged form as one chapter. I went ahead and just put the boot to the story's ass to get it moving again. So, if you think it felt a bit different than other chapters, I don't mind so much if you tell me.

What didn't change was the wedge that would drive Kim and Ron apart. Ever since I decided to continue this story, Ron not wanting to do missions again (mentioned kind of in passing in the first chapter, but it ended up being the line I chose to use as the basis to continue the story) was always going to be the bomb that Ron dropped on Kim's head.

I originally planned on doing the final conversation of this story in it's full form, but after writing the other scenes, I decided that I'd done enough AAAAAAAAAAAAAANGST! For one chapter and just abridged it. I hope you don't mind.

So yeah. Ron and Tara are ready to strike out into the real world. Kim is still studying, and she'll be at it for a while. Jim and Katie are teh loev and Motor Ed is...?

Okay, I don't think Motor Ed is doing anything.

Thanks again for reading! Please leave a review to tell me if you liked the chapter, hated it, think [character] is a poo-poo head, think I'm a poo-poo head for not updating this story in forever...whatever you want, really.

Hopefully the next update won't take nearly 2 years.

Oh hi Mark.


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